PH calls China double-dealing, asks Asean to assert leadership

AFP PAO PHOTO

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The Philippine government on Sunday called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to act against China’s plans to “consolidate de facto control” in South China Sea.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, during the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, called the situation “worsening.”

He said China has been double-dealing as “there was a growing gap between what we are hearing in diplomatic terms and what was really happening in the South China Sea.”

Just last week, satellite photos revealed that China has been building an alleged airstrip on an artificially created island in Kagitingan Reef (Fiery Cross Reef), which is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and located west of Spratly Islands in West Philippine Sea.

“The threats posed by these massive reclamations are real and cannot be ignored or denied,” Del Rosario said. “Their adverse implications are urgent and far-reaching, going beyond the region to encompass the global community.”

President Benigno Aquino III has repeatedly explained that China’s reclamation in disputed areas of South China Sea will affect the global economy, as 40 percent of the world’s trade passes through the area.

Time for Asean to lead

Del Rosario called on the Asean to “assert its leadership, centrality and solidarity.”

“Is it not time for Asean to say to our northern neighbor that what it is doing is wrong and that the massive reclamations must be immediately stopped? On this important issue, is it not time for Asean to finally stand up for what is right?” he said.

“Asean must show the world that it has the resolve to act in the common interest,” the Secretary added.

He said the “Philippines has borne more than its share of the heavy burden of Asean and the international community on this issue.”

Del Rosario said that despite earlier warning China and other Southeast Asian Nations, China “is clearly and quickly advancing with its massive reclamation” and is planning to install defense installations in the reclaimed areas.

A compact disc containing evidence of China’s “massive reclamation” was distributed to the other ministers by the Philippines.

Northern neighbor

Del Rosario said China, which he only referred to as “northern neighbor,” will most likely finish its reclamation activities before it agrees to a Code of Conduct (COC).

He said that if China continues, it will render the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea “irrelevant.”

“Any COC would have the effect of legitimizing China’s reclamation,” he said.