Kerry seeks to calm South China Sea tensions
NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) —
Already scrambling to confront multiple simultaneous international
crises, the Obama administration stepped up efforts Saturday to avert
another, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on China and its
smaller neighbors to take new steps to ease tensions over maritime
disputes in Asian waters that many fear could spark conflict.
Amid new
American military action in Iraq, fears of a Russian invasion of east
Ukraine and the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Kerry formally
presented a proposal under which China and members of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations that have competing claims to territory in the
South China Sea would voluntarily halt provocative actions.
Recent
activity by several claimants, particularly China, in disputed areas
has heightened concerns about confrontation, which would destabilize the
Asia-Pacific, interfere with international maritime commerce and roil
the global economy.
"The
United States and ASEAN have a common responsibility to ensure the
maritime safety of critical global sea lanes and ports," Kerry told
ASEAN foreign ministers, including those from claimant states Brunei,
Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, on the sidelines of an annual
regional security forum.
"We
need to work together to manage tensions in the South China Sea and
manage them peacefully and also to manage them on a basis of
international law," he said.
ASEAN has generally backed U.S.
suggestions on easing tensions, including endorsing the development of a
binding code of conduct to govern activities involving conflicting
claims. But China has resisted and progress on the code of conduct has
been halting if best over the past several years.Earlier Saturday, the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, presented a three-point initiative that incorporated the American concept of a voluntary end to tension-producing activities.
"Tensions
in the South China Sea have worsened in the past few months and
continue to deteriorate," said Philippines Foreign Secretary Albert del
Rosario. "All of us are seeing an increased pattern of aggressive
behavior and provocative actions in the South China Sea, seriously
threatening the peace, security, prosperity and stability in the
region."
In addition to the
immediate voluntary cessation of provocative acts, Manila's "Triple
Action Plan" calls for the speedy conclusion of the long-delayed code of
conduct as well as long-term arbitration over disputes that would
eventual resolve the claims under the U.N. Law of the Sea.
As expected, however, China reacted coldly to the Filipino proposal, saying that the tensions were being overblown.
"Someone
has been exaggerating or even playing up the so-called tension in the
South China Sea," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters. "We
do not agree with such a practice, and we call for vigilance in the
motives behind them."
Among
the recent provocative actions cited by the U.S. and ASEAN members was
China's deployment of a deep-sea oil rig in early May near the Paracel
islands, which are claimed by both Hanoi and Beijing. Although the
Chinese removed the rig two months later, the incident continues to
rankle Vietnam.
Washington is
concerned that while China's withdrawal of the rig in mid-July had
removed an irritant, it had left a legacy of anger and strained
relations with Vietnam and likely raised serious questions among China's
other neighbors about its long-term strategy.
China says it has a historical right to most of the South China Sea and resents what it sees as U.S. meddling.
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