US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday said Washington wanted to avoid “confrontation” in the South China Sea, after an international tribunal rejected Beijing’s claims to most of the waters.
Kerry made the remarks after meeting with Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay in Manila where they discussed the Southeast Asian nation’s sweeping victory in the arbitration case against China.
The US’ top diplomat said that Washington wanted China and the Philippines to engage in talks and “confidence-building measures.”
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“The decision itself is a binding decision, but we’re not trying to create a confrontation. We are trying to create a solution mindful of the rights of people established under the law,” Kerry said.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague this month ruled that China’s claim to most of the strategic waterway was inconsistent with international law.
The decision angered Beijing, which vowed to ignore the ruling.
However, Kerry said the US saw an “opportunity” for claimants to peacefully resolve the row.
“We hope to see a process that will narrow the geographic scope of the maritime disputes, set standards for behavior in contested areas, lead to mutually acceptable solutions, perhaps even a series of confidence-building steps,” he said.
Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have claims to the South China Sea, a vital waterway through which US$5 trillion in annual trade passes. It is also believed to sit atop vast reserves of oil and gas.
Kerry, who arrived in Manila on Tuesday after attending a regional summit in Laos, met with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte’s spokesman Ernesto Abella said the president told Kerry that any bilateral talks with China would “begin with the ruling.”
Abella also said Duterte explained his war on crime and drugs to Kerry, who pledged US$32 million in US assistance for “training and services” for law enforcement.
Duterte has launched a bloody war on crime, urging law enforcers, communist rebels and even the public to kill criminals.
In related developments, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday criticized the US, Japan and Australia for making a joint statement on the South China Sea he said was only “fanning the flames” of regional tension just as countries have agreed that the situation needs to cool down.
Wang said in a statement posted on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Web site that the move by the three countries came at an inappropriate time and was not constructive.
“Now it is the time to test whether you are peacekeepers or troublemakers,” Wang said, referring to the three countries.
The trilateral statement had urged China not to construct military outposts and reclaim land in the disputed waters.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft