Chinese island-building in SCS 'undermine peace' - ASEAN

[Ray]

Chinese island-building in South China Sea 'may undermine peace', says Asean

Regional leaders express concerns about Beijing's land reclamation efforts in waters which are claimed in part by four other nations

A handout picture from the Philippines military shows construction by China in the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea.

Chinese island-building efforts "may undermine peace, security and stability" in the disputed South China Sea, leaders of southeast Asian nations said in a statement ahead of a summit on Monday.

The statement, yet to be publicly released, was prepared on behalf of leaders gathering for the annual meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Malaysia.

"We share the serious concerns expressed by some leaders on the land reclamation being undertaken in the South China Sea, which has eroded trust and confidence and may undermine peace, security and stability," it said.

Monday's summit in Kuala Lumpur opens under a cloud caused by fresh evidence in the form of recently released satellite photos showing the scale of Chinese land reclamation.

They depict flotillas of Chinese vessels heaping huge amounts of sand on fragile coral reefs also claimed by the Philippines.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts of the sea, which is rich in energy reserves, fishery resources, and is a vital conduit for much of world trade.

But Beijing claims nearly all of it, and its increasingly bold actions to underline those claims have caused fears of Chinese dominance of the waterway and potential armed conflict.

The chairman's statement by Malaysia – which holds the rotating chair of Asean this year – instructs the region's foreign ministers to "urgently address this matter" under dialogue mechanisms set up between the bloc and China.

The Philippines on Sunday challenged fellow Asean members to "finally stand up" to Beijing and demand an end to reclamation works.

Philippine foreign secretary Albert del Rosario warned his regional peers in a precursor meeting that China was poised to take "de facto control" of the strategic seaway.

But his Malaysian counterpart Anifah Aman had later brushed aside any expectations of an especially bold Asean final statement.

Despite its rhetoric of a united Asean community, the regional grouping has a history of failing to respond in a robust manner to Beijing due to China's immense trade and diplomatic leverage and because not all Asean states have a stake in the maritime disputes.
Chinese island-building in South China Sea 'may undermine peace', says Asean | World news | The Guardian

Earlier, it was Vietnam and Philippines that were getting browned off with the Chinese aggression in the SCS.

It now appears that the ASEAN too is getting fed up with China.

With the US spearheading the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade deal in the Asia-Pacific region involving the US, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and eight other countries.

The deal's geopolitical implications is that it would help the United States become more integrated into the economy of the Asia-Pacific region and force China, whose economic clout has grown rapidly, to play by clearly defined, US-backed rules of international commerce.

Negotiations between the US and 11 other nations are nearing conclusion.

This TPP will focus on China's unrealistic value of the Yuan and its unfair trade practices.

The US is bent on emasculating China and more so, since the Chinese economy is slowing down.

With the ASEAN raising the decibel level, China apparently is getting isolated by the day.

 

[Srinivas_K]

Chinese are disturbing the peace in Asia !

 

[Ray]

Chinese are a really disturbing element around the world and in every form.

 

[Ray]

China 'extremely concerned' by ASEAN statement on disputed sea

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that it was "extremely concerned" after leaders of Southeast Asian countries expressed worry about land reclamation and navigational freedom in the disputed South China Sea.

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China's reclamation work in the South China Sea has become the latest source of tension with some of its smaller neighbors, several of whom have competing territorial claims in the waters.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said after a summit this week in Kuala Lumpur that reclamation work had "eroded trust and confidence and may undermine peace, security and stability in the South China Sea".

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that China was "extremely concerned" that the closing statement addressed the South China Sea issue, which he said was not a problem between China and ASEAN.

"On this issue China has exercised extreme restraint," he said, repeating that China believed the dispute should be resolved via direct talks between the claimants.

There were no problems with freedom of navigation in the waters, Hong told a daily news briefing.

In a speech to ASEAN heads on state on Monday, Philippine president Benigno Aquino said the "massive reclamations" by China posed a threat to the security and stability of the region.

Diplomatic sources told Reuters that Vietnam and Indonesia had also raised concerns behind closed doors, pushing host Malaysia, which had been reluctant to antagonize China, to address the issue in the closing statement.

Hong said that China had a right to build on islands in the South China Sea.

"China resolutely opposes individual countries making insinuations about China for their own selfish interests and taking hostage the China-ASEAN relationship," he added.

Hong also rejected allegations from Philippine fishery officials that the reclamation work threatens fish production due to coral reef damage.

"China pays more attention to the environment than anyone else when it comes to construction on our islands," he said.

China claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas, with overlapping claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Recent satellite images show China has made rapid progress in building an airstrip suitable for military use in the Spratly Islands and may be planning another.

While many of the claimants have built facilities such as airstrips on some of the islets and shoals they occupy, China's efforts have been by far the most extensive and dramatic.

Disputes over how to address an increasingly assertive role of China - an ally of several ASEAN states - in the strategic waters of the South China Sea has placed the issue squarely as Southeast Asia's biggest potential military flashpoint.
China 'extremely concerned' by ASEAN statement on disputed sea

It is the usual style that China has employed to obfuscate and deflect the issue - that is it not a problem between China and ASEAN.

Of course it concerns the ASEAN. It is body of nations that are small and have common interests.

And this is hilarious:

"China resolutely opposes individual countries making insinuations about China for their own selfish interests and taking hostage the China-ASEAN relationship,"

Insinuations?

They are facts and can be checked on the ground.

Selfish interest?

Pot calling the kettle black? What China is doing in the South China Sea is altruistic interest? What a gas!