ASEAN TIMELINE
China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) states Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam have overlapping claims in parts of South China Sea that have rich fishing grounds, along with oil and gas deposits. As Asean marks its 50th year, the regional bloc faces the challenge of bringing a peaceful resolution to the disputes amid the continuous expansion of China in the contested area.
1991
Asean's relations with China starts as Abdullah Badawi, foreign minister of Malaysia, chair of the year's Asean, invites Chinese counterpart Qian Qichen to attend the opening ceremony and meet with Asean foreign ministers in an informal consultation session.
1992
Asean Declaration on the South China Sea is signed in Manila, calling for a peaceful settlement of the territorial dispute. The foreign ministers of the Asean member countries resolve:
‘‘Without prejudicing the sovereignty and jurisdiction of countries having direct interests in the area, to explore the possibility of cooperation in the South China Sea relating to the safety of maritime navigation and communication, protection against pollution of the marine environment, coordination of search and rescue operations, efforts towards combating piracy and armed robbery, as well as collaboration in the campaign against illicit trafficking in drugs’’
1995
February. Tensions heighten in the Spratlys after the Philippines claims China is building permanent structures on Mischief (Panganiban) Reef, 216 km island province of Palawan.
July--Asean foreign ministers, meeting in Brunei, express concern over the recent events in the South China Sea and encourage all parties to reaffirm their commitment to resolve differences by peaceful means and exercise restraint as stated in the 1992 Asean Declaration on the South China Sea.
China says it is willing to settle its dispute with Asian neighbors over the Spratly Islands on the basis of international law. Qian conveys Beijing's commitment to a legal mechanism during a consultative session with the foreign ministers of the Asean.
August--China and the Philippines signs a code of conduct pledging to solve their dispute by peaceful means. The code of conduct, however, fails to move China to remove the structures.
1996
Asean foreign ministers, meeting in Jakarta, endorse the idea of a regional code of conduct in the South China Sea. China becomes a full dialogue partner.
1997
Asean and Chinese leaders meeting in Kuala Lumpur issue joint statement holding out the possibility of adopting a code of conduct in the South China Sea
2002
November. Asean and China sign the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, a regional framework for cooperation on issues of contention in the South China Sea region with the aim of preventing armed conflict over disputed areas.
The accord enjoins all claimants from further occupying and undertaking activities in the disputed but largely in- habited chain of islets straddling busy sea lanes and reportedly containing vast oil, mineral and marine resources. The signatories are also obliged to help anyone in distress in the contested area, exchange views with one another on defense issues, and give advance warning of military exercises.
2009
There is no mention of South China Sea in the Chairman’s Statement of the 12th ASEAN-China Summit in Hua Hin, Thailand.
2012
Early April to mid-June. Philippine and Chinese coast guard ships face-off for more than two months at Scarborough Shoal,
Stormy weather breaks up the standoff, but China seizes the shoal, a rich fishing ground off the Philippine province of Zambales, and cordoned it off.
July. The Asean foreign ministers fail to reach an agreement on a joint communique, holding up progress on a separate code of conduct aimed at soothing tension in the flashpoint South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). It is the first time in 45 years that the Asean foreign ministers are not able to issue a joint communique.
2013
Jan. 22. After more than 17 years of fruitless bilateral consultations with China, the Philippines files a motion for arbitration in a UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague to challenge Beijing’s claim to most of the South China Sea and compel it to respect the Philippines’ right to its EEZ in the West Philippine Sea and stop Chinese incursions into those waters.
In its submission, the Philippines asks for the nullification of China’s so-called “nine-dashline” claim, which encompasses almost all of the South China Sea, including parts within the West Philippine Sea.
It also demands that China “desist from unlawful activities that violate the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Philippines under the 1982 Unclos.” Both countries are signatories to the 1982 treaty.
2016
July 12. The UN tribunal rules in favor of the Philippines, saying China’s claim to almost all of the South China Sea had no basis in international law.
“China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone by interfering with Philippine fishing and petroleum exploration, by constructing artificial islands and failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the zone,” the court says in a statement after handing down its ruling on the case.
July 24. Meeting in Vientiane, Laos foreign ministers deliberate for about three hours continuing the unfruitful discussions their senior officials had the previous day on how to deal with China’s territorial expansion in the South China Sea. They fail to reach a consensus.
July 25. Asean nations overcome days of deadlock when the Philippines drops a request for their joint statement to mention the landmark ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, officials say, after objections from Cambodia.
AUGUST 2017
In their joint communique, foreign ministers meeting in Manila, called for “non-militarization and self-restraint” in the South China Sea and spoke out against “land reclamation activities,” without mentioning China.