Defense ministers meet on South China Sea tensions

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — Countries need to look for practical ways to defuse incidents in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, Singapore’s defense minister said.

Ng Eng Hen told reporters Friday on the sidelines of a conference in Hawaii that incidents may not necessarily involve military ships. He noted navies have established protocols for when they encounter each other at sea. Instead, confrontations may develop between fishing vessels or other civilian ships, the defense minister said.

Defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter discussed ways to prevent such incidents from escalating, Ng said.

Singapore doesn’t have any claims to disputed islands, but Ng said it’s interested in the issue because the South China Sea is a major shipping route and many economies depend on it.

China claims virtually the entire South China Sea as its own, citing historical reasons. That has pitted it against the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, all members of ASEAN.

China has recently developed shoals and coral reefs into seven islands with major land-reclamation work. Some of the islands have airstrips capable of handling military aircraft.

In July, an international arbitration tribunal ruled against China’s claims, saying they were illegal. Beijing has rejected the ruling and continued its activities.

Ng said the tribunal’s ruling is law, but there are “practical concerns” to consider.

“For Singapore, a nonclaimant sate, our main interest is, either with or without a ruling, how do you make sure the region is still stable and to make sure you actually have mechanisms to prevent any escalations?” he said.

Carter told reporters he and his counterparts discussed improving coordination and cooperation between their militaries to keep the region’s waterways open. He said he asked the heads of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard to hold a meeting with ASEAN partners next year to share their best practices for maritime security.

Ng said the terror threat posed by the Islamic State group was uppermost on the minds of the ministers at the meeting.