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 To China's annoyance, the United States is using a regional
meeting in Myanmar this weekend to step up its engagement in the
maritime tension by calling for a moratorium on actions such as
China's planting of a giant oil rig in Vietnamese waters in May.
Its ally the Philippines has also called for a freeze as part of a
three-step plan to ease tension in the resource-rich sea, through
which passes $5 trillion of trade a year.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Myanmar's capital,
Naypyidaw, on Saturday for the ASEAN Regional Forum, joining foreign
ministers and other top diplomats from China, Russia, Japan, India,
Australia, the European Union and Southeast Asia among others.
"The United States and ASEAN have a common responsibility to ensure
the maritime security of critical sea, lands and ports," Kerry said
in opening comments.
"We need to work together to manage tensions in the South China Sea
and to manage them peacefully, and also to manage them on the basis
of international law.”
But Le Luong Minh, secretary-general of the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the U.S. proposal was not
discussed by ASEAN ministers because there was already a mechanism
in place to curtail sensitive action such as land reclamation and
building on disputed islands.
CHINA SAYS SITUATION STABLE
The top ASEAN diplomat said it was up to ASEAN to work with China to
reduce tension by improving compliance with a 2002 agreement, as
they also work to conclude a binding Code of Conduct for maritime
actions. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also
lay claim to parts of the sea.
"It is up to ASEAN to encourage China to achieve a serious and
effective implementation of this commitment, rather than ASEAN
asking whether it should support or not support the (U.S.)
proposal," he said.
Most claimants have flouted the 2002 guidelines, leading to rising
tension in the South China Sea between four ASEAN claimant nations
and China, which claims 90 percent of the waters. The rancour has
split ASEAN, with several states including some of the claimants
reluctant to antagonize Asia's economic giant.
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China rejects U.S. involvement in the dispute and has already
dismissed the proposal for a freeze. China accuses the United States
of emboldening claimants such as the Philippines and Vietnam with
its military "pivot" back to Asia.
"Currently the situation in the South China Sea is stable on the
whole. There has not been any problem regarding navigation in the
South China Sea," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters.
"Someone has been exaggerating or playing up the so-called tensions
in the South China Sea. We don’t agree with such a practice."
Philippine Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario also appeared to tone
down his proposal for a freeze or moratorium on activities causing
tension in the South China Sea, calling instead for a "cessation" in
remarks to reporters on Friday.
A senior U.S. official said the change in language was not
significant. "Maybe they just want to differentiate their proposal
from our proposal."
ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
(Editing by Stuart Grudgings and Robert Birsel)
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