The
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) concluded a series of meetings
in Phnom Penh this week, failing to issue a joint communiqué amid disagreements
over a maritime dispute in the region.
Foreign
ministers of the 10-member ASEAN bloc held tense talks on contested waters in
the South China Sea, which has important shipping lanes, and is believed to be
rich in oil and gas reserves.
ASEAN
comprises Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.
China and
Taiwan, along with ASEAN member states Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and
Brunei, all claim territory in the area, which has become the scene of rising
tensions in recent months.
Unprecedented
in ASEAN's history
 |
| Cambodia opposed mentioning the Scarborough Shoal in the communiqué |
The
Philippines said in a statement on Friday that the non-issuance of a joint
communiqué was "unprecedented" in ASEAN's 45-year history.
It said
that during a special morning meeting, several ASEAN states and the ASEAN Secretariat
supported the Philippine's view that discussions on the Scarborough Shoal - the
site of a recent standoff between China and the Philippines - should be
mentioned in the communiqué.
"… the
Chair (Cambodia) has consistently opposed any mention of the Scarborough Shoal
… in the Joint Communiqué and today announced that a Joint Communiqué cannot be
issued," the statement read.
The
Philippines' Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said at meetings on Thursday
- attended by visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi - that China's "increasing assertion" in
the area could threaten regional peace and stability.
"If
left unchecked, the increasing tensions that is being generated in the process
could further escalate into physical hostilities which no one wants," said
del Rosario.
Cambodian
Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said at a press conference that the communiqué had
become a "hostage" of bilateral issues between ASEAN member states
and China.
Carlyle
Thayer, a professor at the University of New South Wales at the Australian
Defense Force Academy, told DW that Cambodia's actions as ASEAN chair were
"reprehensible" and its "act of obstinacy" was a reflection
of China's influence.
"For
the first time in ASEAN's history, its foreign ministers have met and acted on
a very heavy agenda but have lost their traditional means of publicizing their
decisions," he said, adding that discord over the wording of the joint
statement could spill into negotiations for a code of conduct (COC) on the
South China Sea.
Profound
disappointment
Indonesian
Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told reporters on Friday that he felt
"deep, profound disappointment" that a consensus could not be reached
among ASEAN members. However, he added that states would continue to work on a
draft COC.
 |
| North Korea accused the US of destabilizing the region |
ASEAN and
China agreed in 2002 to work toward the adoption of such a code to guide
behavior in the South China Sea.
"There
is still a common view that we must, if anything, reinforce our efforts to work
on the COC, to begin our talks with the Chinese on the COC," Natalegawa
said.
Earlier
this week, a senior Cambodian official stated that foreign ministers had
adopted "key elements" of a draft COC, and must start discussions
with China.
Hillary
Clinton told reporters at a briefing on Thursday that the US looked to ASEAN
and China for "meaningful progress" on finalizing a COC.
"We
believe the nations of the region should work collaboratively and
diplomatically to resolve disputes without coercion, without intimidation,
without threats and certainly without the use of force," she said.
US 'root of
instability'
Meanwhile,
North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun told an ASEAN gathering on Thursday
that the US nuclear threat and US policy was the "root of
instability" in the Korean Peninsula.
Clinton
said in her remarks at the East Asia Summit on Thursday that all parties must
remain "firm and unified" in pursuing the denuclearization of the
Peninsula, following "provocations" from North Korea over the past
year.
Author: Mary Kozlovski
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