Beijing is poised to take “de facto control” of the South China Sea, the Philippines said yesterday, but its call for a robust regional response at a summit was shot down.
Alongside Taiwan, ASEAN members Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts of the body of water, but Beijing claims almost all of it; its territorial assertions have caused concern in the region and beyond.
“[China] is poised to consolidate de facto control of the South China Sea,” Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario said in Kuala Lumpur a day ahead of an annual ASEAN summit.
Photo: AFP
He cited land reclamation on disputed reefs that has raised the specter of Chinese bases from which it can enforce its claims.
“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?” del Rosario asked his fellow ministers. “Is it not time for ASEAN to finally stand up for what is right?”
However, summit host Malaysia rejected the idea of a response that could antagonize China.
“We must avoid any action that would be counterproductive and bring us further apart, either among ourselves, or with China,” Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anifah Aman said.
“I do not think ASEAN would like to be given an ultimatum, and by the same token I do not think China would like to be given an ultimatum,” he said.
Faced with Beijing’s immense trade and diplomatic leverage, ASEAN has a history of failing to agree on strong responses over the issue on behalf of its members with disputed maritime claims.
Concern over Chinese land reclamation was reignited this month by satellite photos showing huge amounts of sand being dredged and dumped onto fragile coral reefs claimed by the Philippines.
Defense analysts say these works are creating land masses big enough for airstrips and other facilities, raising the specter of deepening Chinese domination of a vital conduit for much of world trade.
A draft statement prepared well before the gathering began called for “self-restraint” at sea, but avoided direct criticism of China, a diplomatic source said previously.
“ASEAN member-states want to see that this matter should be settled amicably,” Anifah said, adding that he suggested China someday allow joint use of the islands it is constructing.
CELEBRATION: The PRC turned 75 on Oct. 1, but the Republic of China is older. The PRC could never be the homeland of the people of the ROC, Lai said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) could not be the “motherland” of the people of the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks in a speech at a Double Ten National Day gala in Taipei, which is part of National Day celebrations that are to culminate in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on Thursday night next week. Lai wished the country a happy birthday and called on attendees to enjoy the performances and activities while keeping in mind that the ROC is a sovereign and independent nation. He appealed for everyone to always love their
FIVE-YEAR WINDOW? A defense institute CEO said a timeline for a potential Chinese invasion was based on expected ‘tough measures’ when Xi Jinping seeks a new term Most Taiwanese are willing to defend the nation against a Chinese attack, but the majority believe Beijing is unlikely to invade within the next five years, a poll showed yesterday. The poll carried out last month was commissioned by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a Taipei-based think tank, and released ahead of Double Ten National Day today, when President William Lai (賴清德) is to deliver a speech. China maintains a near-daily military presence around Taiwan and has held three rounds of war games in the past two years. CIA Director William Burns last year said that Chinese President Xi Jinping
MAKING PROGRESS: Officials and industry leaders who participated in a defense forum last month agreed that Taiwan has the capabilities to work with the US, the report said Taiwan’s high-tech defense industry is to enhance collaboration with the US to produce weapons needed for self-defense, the Ministry of National Defense said in a report to the Legislative Yuan. Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞) discussed building regional and global industry alliances with US partners at the US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Philadelphia held from Sept. 22 to Tuesday last week, the ministry said in the declassified portion of the report. The visit contributed to maintaining bilateral ties, facilitated Taiwan’s efforts to acquire weapons and equipment, and strengthened the resilience of the two nation’s defense industries, it said. Taiwan-US ties
CONCERNS: Allowing the government, political parties or the military to own up to 10 percent of a large media firm is a risk Taiwan cannot afford to take, a lawyer said A Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator has proposed amendments to allow the government, political parties and the military to indirectly invest in broadcast media, prompting concerns of potential political interference. Under Article 1 of the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法), the government and political parties — as well as foundations established with their endowments, and those commissioned by them — cannot directly or indirectly invest in satellite broadcasting businesses. A similar regulation is in the Cable Radio and Television Act (有線廣播電視法). “The purpose of banning the government, political parties and the military from investing in the media is to prevent them from interfering
RSS