ASEAN concerned over presence of warships in South China Sea

BANGKOK: ASEAN countries have expressed their concern on the rising tensions caused by the presence of warships in the South China Sea, said Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

“We should lessen the presence of warships in the disputed waters to ensure peace and stability, safety and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

“It is a free passage but when there are too many, we are worried,” he told Bernama here yesterday.

Saifuddin was leading the Malaysian delegation to the 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting/Post Ministerial Conferences and Related Meetings (52nd AMM/PMC) which ended here yesterday.

He said foreign ministers of the 10-member ASEAN stressed the importance of nonmilitarisation in the South China Sea.

According to him, they also exchanged views on the South China Sea at various platforms during the AMM and PMC, as well as with their dialogue partners during the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and East Asia Summit (EAS).

Tensions have flared as China test-fired anti-ship ballistic missiles in disputed areas of the resource-rich waterway last month while Vietnam accused China of violating its sovereignty by interfering with its offshore oil and gas activities.

In June, a Philippine fishing boat anchored off a disputed seamount -- believed to hold large quantities of oil and natural gas -- sank after it was rammed by a Chinese boat. - Bernama