Philippines urges Asean anew to take united stand on Spratlys dispute

MANILA, Philippines—Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario reiterated on Tuesday, the Philippines’ call for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to take a united stand on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) dispute before China on the heels of a similar United States statement.

Del Rosario, who pushed for a singular Asean stand at a ministers’ meeting in Cambodia last July, again called on the bloc and other nations with interest in the disputed seas to take collective action to peacefully resolve the conflict.

“Asean was organized to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region.  If there is a threat to freedom of navigation and unimpeded commerce in the South China Sea, there should be a collective response not only from Asean but from other nations who may be consequenced,” Del Rosario told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Tuesday.

On a visit to Jakarta on Monday, US Secretary of State Hillary called on the Asean anew to take a united stand when dealing with China on the dispute over resource-rich Spratlys.

The regional bloc failed to do this in the July meeting in Phnom Penh, when ministers disagreed on issuing a joint communique on the dispute.

China has long been against a multilateral approach in resolving the problem but other claimant countries, like the Philippines and Vietnam, are persistent at taking this track to end the debate.

The Chinese say they own almost all of the Spratlys islands while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan claim parts of the area.

China recently established a military garrison on the Paracels, islands outside the Spratlys, to supposedly administer the disputed archipelago.

This move drew a diplomatic protest from the Philippines and unprecedented criticism from its top defense partner, the US, which is known to be pivoting defense and disaster response capabilities in the Asia Pacific.

“Prevailing disputes must as well be discussed not bilaterally but multilaterally as there are several nations involved.  We must pursue a peaceful resolution in accord with international law including Unclos (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” Del Rosario said in a text message while on a visit to Syria.

“There should be no use of or threat of force,” he added.

Officials also called on the immediate adoption of a Code of Conduct to govern the disputed waters, a vital maritime route navigated by ships of different flags.

“We call on all stakeholders to strictly observe the spirit and letter of the DOC (Declaration of Conduct) and to work towards the early conclusion of the regional code of conduct,” said Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, the spokesman of the Department of Foreign Affairs.