The United States is willing to help craft a legally binding "code of conduct" to end a territorial dispute between ASEAN members and China that threatens regional stability, its envoy said Monday. US ambassador to Manila Harry Thomas said Washington had a clear interest in ensuring that tensions surrounding overlapping claims to the Spratly islands in the South China were settled peacefully through dialogue. The US government neither don't want to see conflict nor they don't wish to see a war, and they do not take sides to this issue. He said the 10-nation ASEAN should sit down with China and negotiate an enforceable code of conduct to ensure that the vital sea lanes remain free from incidents that could disrupt movement of trade across boundaries. "I think we have to wait for ASEAN and China to agree to sit down and when ASEAN develops its goals and objectives, and if they ask for our assistance in specific items, we would be happy to assist," Thomas said.
Asked whether such a code should be legally binding, he answered: "Of course." The US believes that adopting the code of conduct would "ensure regional stability, freedom of navigation and international commerce," he said. However Thomas was quick to stress that Washington did not wish to engage in a conflict with China, an economic and military powerhouse that has increasingly been flexing its muscles in the region. "We seek no conflict with no nation. We think there should be peace. We think however that the ASEAN code of conduct is an achievable goal with China," he said. China in July showcased its naval might in the South China Sea after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told regional leaders that resolution of the dispute was "pivotal" to regional stability. The Spratlys are a chain of atolls and reefs in the South China Sea that are believed to lie atop large deposits of minerals, including natural gas and oil. The chain is claimed in whole or in part by ASEAN members the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam and by China and its rival Taiwan.
Source AFP.
Code of conduct between the claimant parties is already in place. I cannot remember exactly when it was signed but among others all parties agree not not occupy any islets or atolls already occupied by another claimant. Although the code of conduct is not legally binding, I strongly believe that all parties will abide to the agreement. It is typical of the US to interfere in every part of the world. Remember the issue of Selat Melaka?They even suggested that Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia should agree to the positioning of US naval fleet to patrol the straits. Like the Selat Melaka, the South China Sea is another very important Sea Line of Communication (SLOC). It is a life line not only to China, but other countries in NE Asia, Japan and Korea included. In the short and mid term, I dont think China would do anything nasty, militarily, to disrupt the safety of the SLOC. In the long term may be, once its own natural resources are expended, it may do so, after all, to the Chinese, the South China is just a "China lake".
ReplyDeleteWell in some certain aspect I believe Jeneral, we need the US to be around. As we know that China and India has now become on develop super power, and definitely we need someone to be around to balanced it. Eventhough the concept of ZOFPAN remain, but we should forget that China has never drop their claim on the South China Sea. Anyhow as you said before our masters have their own way of diplomatic ways to tackle our soveriegnty issues. Anyway that's only my opinion.
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