Beijing seeks ASEAN support for dominance in South China Sea

China has sought support from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries in order to insulate the South China Sea and retain its dominance in the region, The Singapore Post reported.

The Singapore Post reported that it is the first time China has designed a declaration to remain a power in the South China Sea hiding behind the dummy motive of maintaining peace and stability. China’s state-supported media The People’s Daily reported that “The historical trend of peace and stability in the South China Sea is irresistible, and the trend of the times for regional unity and cooperation is irresistible. Forces outside the region insist on playing geopolitical tricks in the region, deliberately creating tension and conflicts in the region, and they will end up in vain.”

However, the paper presented at the end of the 25th China ASEAN meeting held at Penh, Cambodia to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea says that it demonstrates the common will of China and the ASEAN countries to remove any external interference and maintain stability in the South China Sea. And have full confidence in wisdom and ability to handle all issues in the region.

All this actually supports the Chinese Communist Party’s motive that “the countries directly concerned should resolve the South China Sea disputes through negotiation and consultation on the basis of respecting historical facts and international law”, The Singapore Post reported.

According to The Singapore Post amid all this China is involved in disputes with countries around the South China Sea, and to maintain its dominance it rallies military and defence forces in the region and uses financial credit schemes to lure countries into a debt trap and opposes any interference in the region.

However, the paper further says that South China Sea region is not a “safari park” for countries outside the region to use an ‘arena’ for power games. Although this is not the first time that china has faced issues in the region

Amid growing territorial disputes between China and other littoral states in the South China Sea (SCS), Singapore called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to use diplomacy and dialogues to settle the disputes.

Speaking to ANI, Ong Keng Yong, Ambassador-at-Large at the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said, “There must be a conclusion, otherwise we cannot reassure our shipping community, international companies dealing with business in this part of the world. I think the important thing now is that both sides have to sit down and go through all the possible scenarios and options and then have a commonsensical conclusion. If they maintain their respective position, we cannot get any conclusion.”

China and ASEAN agreed on a Declaration of Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea in 2002, but progress on a Code of Conduct (COC) has been slow going amid an increasing risk of conflict. (ANI)