holds the rotating chair of 10-member Asean this year — instructs the region’s foreign ministers to “urgently address this matter” under dialogue mechanisms set up between the bloc and China.
But it stopped just short of a call by the Philippine foreign secretary, who on Sunday challenged Asean to “finally stand up” to Beijing by demanding an immediate halt to the reclamation.
Albert del Rosario had warned his regional peers in Kuala Lumpur that China was “poised to consolidate de facto control” of the sea.
Malaysia brushed aside suggestions of a stern response that could antagonise China, but its Prime Minister Najib Razak appealed to Beijing to avoid destabilising actions.
“We hope to be able to influence China that it is also to their interest not to be seen as confronting Asean and that any attempt to destabilise this region will not benefit China either,” he said.
Despite its unity rhetoric, Asean members have diverging agendas, and the bloc avoids pushing China too hard on behalf of its members.
Beijing holds immense trade and diplomatic leverage over Asean countries, most of which have no stake in the maritime disputes.
The Philippines and Vietnam have experienced the most direct face-offs with China at sea, including a number of tense confrontations in recent years.
Ian Storey, an analyst with the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, said the Asean statement was “quite strong” compared to mild past versions.
But he added: “The statement will do absolutely nothing to dissuade China from completing its reclamation programme.”
China on Monday said it was willing to work with Asean but defended the island-building as being within its “sovereign” territory.
“The accusations made by some countries against China are not reasonable,” a foreign ministry spokesman said.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino told fellow regional leaders on Monday that China’s actions violate a non-binding 2002 pledge by rival maritime claimants to avoid actions that inflame tensions.
China also is widely believed to be dragging its feet in discussions on turning the earlier pledge into a binding Code of Conduct, so that it can buy time to cement its control at sea.
Aquino said Beijing’s actions “pose a threat to the freedom of global commerce and navigation” and cause irreparable harm to the marine environment.