Foreign Affairs secretary Alberto del Rosario. 蜜桃工作室 FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines鈥擨n agreeing to engage China in negotiations for a code of conduct in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is sending a clear message to Beijing: It鈥檚 time to view the territorial disputes in the sea as a regional problem and they must be solved through regional, not bilateral, action.
Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario took time out from his work on 听to explain to journalists the ramifications of Thursday鈥檚 Asean agreement in Brunei to unite and talk to China about crafting a code of conduct in the West Philippine Sea that would prevent the conflicting territorial claims in the region from erupting in armed confrontations.
Speaking at a briefing for reporters in Malaca帽ang, Del Rosario said that this time, Asean is determined to compel China to sit down with the bloc鈥檚 10 members and negotiate a code of conduct with them.
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Asean priority
He said Brunei, this year鈥檚 Asean chair, made the talks with China on the code a priority for the bloc.
鈥淚 think Asean is fully ready to do this. I think the next step belongs to China,鈥� Del Rosario said.
He said Asean had worked out the 鈥渇undamental elements鈥� of a code of conduct 鈥渁 long time ago鈥� but China refused to engage, saying 鈥渢he time was not right.鈥�
China refuses to discuss its territorial disputes with its Southeast Asian neighbors in any international forum. It prefers to discuss the disputes through bilateral talks with the other claimants.
Asean members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as Taiwan, claim parts of the West Philippine Sea, almost all of which China insists is its territory.
Asean efforts to craft a code of conduct in the West Philippine Sea all but collapsed last year at a summit chaired by Cambodia, a close economic ally of China, when the group failed to agree on how to approach the issue with China.
Solid stand
But in Brunei on Wednesday and Thursday, Asean presented a 鈥渟olid鈥� stand to pursue the effort, Del Rosario said.
The 10 members of the association resolved to effectively enforce the Declaration of Conduct in the South China Sea between Asean and China, and to expedite the conclusion of a code of conduct in the sea with China, Del Rosario said.
He said President Aquino took a central role in the discussion of the code during the two-day summit in Brunei.
UN arbitration
鈥淗e talked at length about arbitration, about its importance, about the fact that it鈥檚 an open, friendly and durable solution to the disputes in the West Philippine Sea,鈥� Del Rosario said, referring to the Philippines鈥� arbitration case against China in the United Nations (UN).
鈥淗e also talked about the benefits to all countries, starting with China. He emphasized that it clarifies the maritime entitlements of China, especially to its own constituents, in terms of what its expectations should be in accordance with international law,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 good for the Philippines because it will define what is ours,鈥� he said, referring to a UN clarification of the Philippines鈥� rights in its 22-kilometer exclusive economic zone provided for by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.