Blinken tells ASEAN that US is concerned about China’s ‘dangerous’ actions in disputed sea

VIENTIANE, Laos — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Southeast Asian leaders Friday that the United States is concerned about China’s “increasingly dangerous and illegal” activities in the Sea of South China challenged at an annual summit, and promised that the United States would continue to uphold its commitments. freedom of navigation on the vital maritime trade route.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting with Blinken follows a series of violent clashes at sea between China and ASEAN members the Philippines and Vietnam, which have fueled fears that China’s increasingly assertive actions in the waterways could escalate into a full-scale conflict. .

China, which claims almost the entire sea, has claims that overlap with those of ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as Taiwan. About a third of global trade passes by sea, which is also rich in fish stocks, gas and oil.

Beijing has refused to recognize a 2016 international arbitration ruling by a U.N.-affiliated court in The Hague that invalidated its broad claims and built up and militarized the islands it controls.

“We are very concerned about China’s increasingly dangerous and illegal activities in the South China Sea, which have injured people, damaged ships of ASEAN countries and contradicted commitments to a peaceful resolution disputes,” said Blinken, who replaces President Joe Biden. his opening speech at the US-ASEAN summit. “The United States will continue to support freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the Indo-Pacific. »

The United States has no claims to the South China Sea, but has deployed warships and fighter jets to patrol the waters to challenge China’s claims.

Chinese and Philippine ships have clashed several times this year, and Vietnam said last week that Chinese forces had attacked its fishermen in the disputed sea. China has also sent patrol boats to areas that Indonesia and Malaysia claim as exclusive economic zones.

The United States has repeatedly warned that it is obligated to defend the Philippines — its oldest ally in Asia — if Philippine forces, ships or aircraft come under armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. complained to summit leaders Thursday that his country “continues to be subjected to harassment and intimidation” by China. He said it was “regrettable that the overall situation in the South China Sea remains tense and unchanged” due to China’s actions, which he said violated international law. He called for greater urgency in ASEAN-China negotiations on a code of conduct governing the South China Sea.

Singaporean leader Lawrence Wong warned earlier this week of “the real risks of an accident escalating into conflict” if the maritime dispute is not resolved.

Malaysia, which will assume the rotating presidency of ASEAN next year, is expected to push to speed up negotiations on the code of conduct. Officials agreed to try to finalize the code by 2026, but negotiations have been hampered by sensitive issues, including disagreements over whether the deal would be binding.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang was provocative during Thursday’s discussions. He called the South China Sea a “shared home” but reiterated China’s assertion that it was simply protecting its sovereign rights, officials said. Li also blamed interference from “external forces” who sought to “introduce bloc confrontations and geopolitical conflicts into Asia.” Li did not name the foreign forces, but China has previously warned the United States not to interfere in the region’s territorial disputes.

In another strong message to China, Blinken said the United States believes “it is also important to maintain our shared commitment to protecting stability across the Taiwan Strait.” China claims the self-governing island of Taiwan as its own territory and bristles at other countries’ patrols on the body of water that separates it from the island.

Blinken also attended a summit of 18 East Asian countries, alongside the Chinese Prime Minister, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and the leaders of Japan, South Korea, India , Australia and New Zealand.

ASEAN has moved cautiously in the maritime dispute with China, which is the bloc’s largest trading partner and its third-largest investor. This has not dented trade relations, with both sides focusing on expanding a free trade zone covering a market of 2 billion people.

Blinken said negotiations at the annual ASEAN summit provide a platform to address other common challenges, including the civil war in Myanmar, North Korea’s “destabilizing behavior” and the country’s military aggression. Russia in Ukraine. He said the United States remained the largest foreign investor in the region and wanted to strengthen its partnership with ASEAN.

Blinken tells ASEAN that US is concerned about China’s ‘dangerous’ actions in disputed sea

VIENTIANE, Laos — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Southeast Asian leaders Friday that the United States is concerned about China’s “increasingly dangerous and illegal” activities in the Sea of South China challenged at an annual summit, and promised that the United States would continue to uphold its commitments. freedom of navigation on the vital maritime trade route.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting with Blinken follows a series of violent clashes at sea between China and ASEAN members the Philippines and Vietnam, which have fueled fears that China’s increasingly assertive actions in the waterways could escalate into a full-scale conflict. .

China, which claims almost the entire sea, has claims that overlap with those of ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as Taiwan. About a third of global trade passes by sea, which is also rich in fish stocks, gas and oil.

Beijing has refused to recognize a 2016 international arbitration ruling by a U.N.-affiliated court in The Hague that invalidated its broad claims and built up and militarized the islands it controls.

“We are very concerned about China’s increasingly dangerous and illegal activities in the South China Sea, which have injured people, damaged ships of ASEAN countries and contradicted commitments to a peaceful resolution disputes,” said Blinken, who replaces President Joe Biden. his opening speech at the US-ASEAN summit. “The United States will continue to support freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the Indo-Pacific. »

The United States has no claims to the South China Sea, but has deployed warships and fighter jets to patrol the waters to challenge China’s claims.

Chinese and Philippine ships have clashed several times this year, and Vietnam said last week that Chinese forces had attacked its fishermen in the disputed sea. China has also sent patrol boats to areas that Indonesia and Malaysia claim as exclusive economic zones.

The United States has repeatedly warned that it is obligated to defend the Philippines — its oldest ally in Asia — if Philippine forces, ships or aircraft come under armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. complained to summit leaders Thursday that his country “continues to be subjected to harassment and intimidation” by China. He said it was “regrettable that the overall situation in the South China Sea remains tense and unchanged” due to China’s actions, which he said violated international law. He called for greater urgency in ASEAN-China negotiations on a code of conduct governing the South China Sea.

Singaporean leader Lawrence Wong warned earlier this week of “the real risks of an accident escalating into conflict” if the maritime dispute is not resolved.

Malaysia, which will assume the rotating presidency of ASEAN next year, is expected to push to speed up negotiations on the code of conduct. Officials agreed to try to finalize the code by 2026, but negotiations have been hampered by sensitive issues, including disagreements over whether the deal would be binding.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang was provocative during Thursday’s discussions. He called the South China Sea a “shared home” but reiterated China’s assertion that it was simply protecting its sovereign rights, officials said. Li also blamed interference from “external forces” who sought to “introduce bloc confrontations and geopolitical conflicts into Asia.” Li did not name the foreign forces, but China has previously warned the United States not to interfere in the region’s territorial disputes.

In another strong message to China, Blinken said the United States believes “it is also important to maintain our shared commitment to protecting stability across the Taiwan Strait.” China claims the self-governing island of Taiwan as its own territory and bristles at other countries’ patrols on the body of water that separates it from the island.

Blinken also attended a summit of 18 East Asian countries, alongside the Chinese Prime Minister, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and the leaders of Japan, South Korea, India , Australia and New Zealand.

ASEAN has moved cautiously in the maritime dispute with China, which is the bloc’s largest trading partner and its third-largest investor. This has not dented trade relations, with both sides focusing on expanding a free trade zone covering a market of 2 billion people.

Blinken said negotiations at the annual ASEAN summit provide a platform to address other common challenges, including the civil war in Myanmar, North Korea’s “destabilizing behavior” and the country’s military aggression. Russia in Ukraine. He said the United States remained the largest foreign investor in the region and wanted to strengthen its partnership with ASEAN.