ASEAN’s wavering stance on China sea row

The leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met in Manila, where Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte stressed over the non-interference in one-another’s internal affairs. He said that the principles of the regional block are based on international law, mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity and national identity of all nations.
Duterte urged his fellow leaders to uphold the rule of law as a member of the international community. He further added that the relations between Asean member states and dialogue partners including
China, the EU and the US, can be stronger only if they treat each other as a sovereign equal.
“Our engagement with dialogue partners allowed us to set the table for meaningful discussions on maintaining peace and stability, the pursuit of development goals, the peaceful resolution of disputes and the promotion of our people’s welfare,” Duterte said.
The Asean leaders are meeting amid rising tensions on Korean peninsula and in the South China Sea. The situation has worsened in the region as US deployed a naval strike group to the Korean peninsula amid growing concerns that North Korea might be preparing for sixth nuclear test. Despite the US warnings North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile just hours before the leaders met.
On the other hand, China has almost completed the construction on three artificial islands in South China Sea much to the chagrin of other claimant countries and US. The South China Sea disputes involve island, maritime and economic zone claims among Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The artificial islands have been built with runways, towers, radars and more recently weapons systems. The US has previously criticised what it called China’s militarization of its maritime outposts. Washington has stressed the need for freedom of navigation and carried out periodic air and naval patrols to prove a point.
But the voices in Asean have made it clear that the body will not be getting tough on China this time around. Ahead of summit, Duterte set the tone for the Asean stance over South China Sea by saying that Philippines and other nations were helpless to stop Chinese artificial island-building in the disputed areas.
Philippines has already buckled under Chinese demands to soften an Asean statement that included an oblique reference to Hague ruling. A draft communique shies away from criticizing China for its actions in the South China Sea, though it stresses the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region.
As US President Donald Trump withdrew from Pacific trade deal and reduced US engagement in the region, it has created an opening for China to play its role supporting growth and investment. Consequently, the smaller Asean nations such as Cambodia and Laos are moving into China’s fold. To some extent, Beijing has brought Malaysia and the Philippines too to its side. China’s strategy is working quite well. All these have
resulted in Asean nations’ waning interest in taking a stronger stance against China.