Asean, China in crucial meet

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman and Assistant Secretary Charles Jose. AFP FILE PHOTO

FOREIGN ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China are holding a two-day emergency meeting in Kunming, the capital and largest city in Yunnan province, to enforce the code of conduct and reduce the level of tensions in the disputed waters of South China Sea that raised concerns in the international community.

Foreign Secretary Jose Almendras flew to Kunming, China, for the two-day Special Asean-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on June 13 and 14.

In a press briefing today, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Charles Jose said Asean members called for the meeting with China to resolve the growing tensions in the disputed islands in the South China Sea.

“Asean members are really concerned about the developments (in the South China Sea). There is an erosion in trust and confidence so we need to work to address this issue,” Jose said.

In a statement on Monday, Almendras reiterated the government’s commitment to work within the Asean-China process to pursue the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

He said the meeting would press for the early conclusion of the code of conduct in the South China Sea.

“Within this framework, the Philippines continues to advocate for the exercise of self-restraint necessary to reduce the level of tensions, and calls on parties to take actions which enhance peace and stability,” said Almendras in a statement.

Almendras said the Philippines “upholds Asean centrality on regional issues” but its track of filing an arbitration is consistent with the Declaration of Code (DOC) signed by the Asean and China.

“The Philippine foreign policy on the South China Sea is guided by its commitment to a principled foreign policy and on its firm belief in the rule of law,” said Almendras.

He said arbitration was among the legal and diplomatic processes promoting the rule of law in the region, and was fully consistent with the DOC and the region’s efforts to peacefully manage and resolve the disputes in accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.