Demonstrators protest against what they say is U.S., Japan, and China’s interference with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in front of the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines, April 28, 2017. The 10-member ASEAN is to hold their annual summit Saturday.
Share
Print
See comments
TAIPEI, TAIWAN —
Leaders from 10 Southeast Asian countries at this week’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the Philippines have sidestepped criticizing China over its expansion in the contested South China Sea, a sign, some analysts say, of Beijing’s economic and diplomatic influence.
ASEAN heads of state who conclude the four-day summit in Manila Saturday have, so far, issued no criticism of China. Analysts and media reports earlier in the week expected a mildly worded statement without naming any one country as a troublemaker.
Nothing provocative
Any slight against China, such as a reminder that it lost a world court arbitration ruling July 12 over the legal basis for its claim to 95 percent of the sea, would be “unnecessarily provocative,” said Collin Koh, maritime security research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
“Most of those statements related to such sensitive issues like the South China Sea tend to be very general and wouldn’t go down to specifics, even including highlighting any particular country as singled out for some kind of reprimand in the statement,” Koh said.
Chinese structures and an airstrip on the man-made Subi Reef at the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea are seen from a Philippine Air Force C-130 transport plane of the Philippine Air Force, April 21, 2017.
Chinese structures and an airstrip on the man-made Subi Reef at the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea are seen from a Philippine Air Force C-130 transport plane of the Philippine Air Force, April 21, 2017.
Hesitation to criticize China shows the impact of Beijing’s aggressive negotiations with individual Southeast Asian countries and offers of economic benefits since the arbitration ruling. China’s coast guard activity, land reclamation work and construction of military bases in the 3.5 million-square-kilometer area have previously caused alarm.
“Maybe they’ll say something about self-restraint on the Korean Peninsula, but not much to say about the South China Sea,” said Termsak Chalermpalanupap, a fellow with the ISEAS Yusof Ihsak Institute in Singapore who specializes in maritime security. “The scene is quieter now.”
ASEAN’s statements seldom implicate other countries, and the bloc includes staunch China allies, such as Cambodia and Laos. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, this year’s ASEAN chairman, said this week the summit would avoid mentioning the world court arbitration ruling, which China has called a “farce.”
Aid around the region
Since July, China has opened talks with the Philippines, the country that filed for arbitration, and offered it $24 billion in economic aid. China has stepped up discussions on maritime cooperation with Vietnam, another vocal anti-China country before the court ruling. Malaysia already counts China as its top source of investment and trade, and Beijing was working with Brunei on a joint port venture and increased trade cooperation before the world court ruling.
The South China Sea exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam — all ASEAN members — overlap Beijing’s claims. Taiwan also calls the sea its own. The waters are prized for abundant fisheries as well as undersea gas and oil reserves.
