October 11, 2024 | 4:19pm
MANILA, Philippines — A day after the Philippines urged Southeast Asian leaders to address China’s “unchanged” aggression in the South China Sea, Beijing said it settles maritime differences through dialogue based on “historical facts and international law.”
At a press conference on Thursday, October 10, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning responded to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s remarks at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, where the Philippine leader flagged China’s incursions in the tense waterways and its “continued disregard for international law.”
“China remains committed to settling maritime differences with countries concerned through dialogue and consultation on the basis of respecting historical facts and international law,” the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said.
Mao also reiterated Beijing’s stance against “infringement activities” in the disputed South China Sea, which it claims in its near entirety based on a nine-dash line that exceeds internationally recognized maritime boundaries.
“China firmly opposes any infringement activities and provocations, and firmly safeguards its own territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” the Chinese official added.
Mao also remarked that the “situation in the South China Sea is generally stable.”
This description contrasts with Marcos’ statement yesterday at the 27th ASEAN-China summit in Laos that the overall situation in the South China Sea “remains tense and unchanged.”
“We continue to be subjected to harassment and intimidation,” Marcos said, addressing Southeast Asian leaders and Chinese Premiere Li Qiang.
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Marcos cited recent incidents of aggression, stating that in August, China Coast Guard vessels harassed Philippine boats in Escoda Shoal during a routine patrol. On three separate occasions, the Chinese vessels rammed and fired water cannons at Philippine vessels.
He also reported the intimidation tactics used by Chinese People’s Liberation Army missile ships that targeted civilian fishing vessels and aircraft with lasers.
“Such behavior is not unnoticed by our respective publics and the international community as well. That they will require a concerted and urgent effort to adopt measures to prevent their recurrence,” he added.
Marcos told the meeting that ASEAN and China cannot pretend that all is well on the economic front when there are tensions on the political front, according to an unnamed Southeast Asian diplomat cited by an Agence France-Presse report.
ASEAN is unlikely to broker a lasting solution to the South China Sea dispute as its templated call for peace and stability does not address China’s refusal to recognize the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its sweeping claims.
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Not all ASEAN members also have a stake in the dispute. Of the 10 ASEAN members, only four are official South China Sea claimants against China, namely the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. Indonesia is not a claimant but takes issues with China’s overstretched assertions of territory.
In 2023, China and ASEAN members agreed to finalize a code of conduct for the South China Sea within three years. Before this, progress on the long-delayed agreement had been slow, with talks stagnating since the adoption of the non-binding Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in 2002.
Marcos wants to revive the momentum, calling on other Southeast Asian nations on Thursday to inject more urgency into the negotiations for the code of conduct.
The president said important aspects of the code of conduct, such as issues of geographic scope and its legal nature, have yet to be decided upon.
“It is time that we tackle these milestone issues directly so we can make substantive progress moving forward,” he added.
Filipino fishers have increasingly been shut out of the resource-rich waters due to China’s increasing incursions into the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.
Based on fisher group Pamalakaya’s consultations with up to 12 “mother boat” operators in Subic town, Zambales on July 11, fishers in the area are reportedly losing some 60% of their income during their weekly fishing expeditions after China’s unilateral imposition of a four-month fishing ban in the South China Sea.
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