Beijing poised to take ‘de facto control’ of S. China Sea: Philippines

KUALA LUMPUR: The Philippines on Sunday urged its fellow Southeast Asian countries to take immediate steps to halt land reclamation by China in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
It warned that Beijing is poised to take “de facto control” of the South China Sea, but its call for a robust Southeast Asian response at a regional summit was shot down.
“(China) is poised to consolidate de facto control of the South China Sea,” Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said in Kuala Lumpur a day ahead of an annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts of the strategic body of water, but Beijing claims nearly all of it, and its increasingly strident territorial assertions have caused concern in the region and beyond.
Malaysia’s foreign minister, however, said that the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will avoid confrontation with China and continue negotiations with Beijing on a binding code of conduct that would govern behavior in the area.
Rosario told a meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers that if China’s construction of artificial islands on reefs claimed by other countries is allowed to be completed, Beijing will impose its claim over more than 85 percent of the sea.



Rosario urged the grouping to “stand up” to China by urging it to halt its reclamation work, which threatened to militarize the region, infringe on rights of other states and damage the marine environment.
He warned that China, which has been dragging its foot on ASEAN’s push for a code of conduct, will aim to complete its reclamation activities before it agrees to conclude the code. If this happens, he said the code will legitimize China’s reclamation.
“The threats posed by these massive reclamations are real and cannot be ignored or denied,” he said. “ASEAN should assert its leadership, centrality and solidarity. ASEAN must show the world that it has the resolve to act in the common interest.”
China, Taiwan and ASEAN members Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei have overlapping claims in the South China Sea, which includes busy sea lanes and rich fishing grounds, and is believed to have large undersea deposits of oil and natural gas.
ASEAN has maintained a cautious stand in the dispute to avoid angering China, a key trading partner.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman told reporters that ASEAN is “very much concerned” about the reclamation, but that sending an ultimatum to China to stop work could backfire and hurt peace and stability in the region.
“It will be much appreciated if China can stop work and sit down with ASEAN countries to find a solution,” he said. “ASEAN must send the right signal and make the right move. We must avoid any measures that are counterproductive either to ourselves or to China.”
Officials from ASEAN nations and China are scheduled to meet in May and June to discuss the issue, he said.
The Philippines filed a case with an international arbitration tribunal in 2013 challenging China’s claim.
Beijing has defended the reclamation, saying it is Chinese territory and the structures are for public service use and to support Chinese fishermen.
Anifah has said that ASEAN leaders are expected to raise concerns over Chinese land reclamation at their two-day summit starting Monday and will seek to speed up plans for the code of conduct with China.
He singled out a campaign of land reclamation on disputed reefs that has raised the spectre of permanent Chinese bases far out in the sea from which it can enforce its sovereignty.
“Is it not time for ASEAN to say to our northern neighbour 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?”
But summit host Malaysia later rejected the idea of a response that could antagonise China.
“We must avoid any action that would be counter-productive and bring us further apart, either amongst ourselves, or with China,” Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said.
“I don’t think ASEAN would like to be given an ultimatum, and by the same token I don’t think China would like to be given an ultimatum.”
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 re-ignited this month by satellite photos showing huge amounts of sand being dredged and dumped onto fragile coral reefs claimed by the Philippines.
Defence analysts say some of the new islands will be big enough for airstrips and other large facilities, raising the spectre of deepening Chinese domination of a waterway rich in energy reserves, fishery resources, and a vital conduit for much of world trade.
A draft statement prepared before the gathering calls for “self-restraint” at sea but avoids criticising or even mentioning China by name, a diplomatic source said previously.