Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has called on China and the Philippines to abide by The Hague-based tribunal’s arbitration ruling on their dispute in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), which went in Manila’s favor.
Bishop spoke on Monday after holding talks with foreign ministers from the 10-member Asean. She noted that the ruling earlier this month “is final and binding.”
Bishop urged both countries “to reengage to resolve the differences.” She said that how the arbitration outcome is handled “is an important test for how Asean can help manage disputes peacefully.”
China has rejected the ruling, saying it is willing to have bilateral talks with the Philippines to resolve the dispute but will not allow outside intervention.
Other Asean partners, including India and the United States, are also holding talks with Southeast Asian ministers.
China’s foreign minister says he has held “positive” talks with his Southeast Asian counterparts that came less than two weeks after an international tribunal ruled that Beijing’s expansive claims in the South China Sea are illegal.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said his meeting on Monday with the top diplomats from the Asean “was conducted on basis of mutual respect and mutual trust and in a positive spirit.” He said “80 percent of the time was spent on discussing cooperation. Some members also made remarks about the situation in the South China Sea. I would say that discussion was about 20 percent of our time.”
Earlier in the day, the Southeast Asian foreign ministers delivered a watered-down rebuke to China for its territorial expansion in the South China Sea, failing to mention the July 12 ruling by The Hague-based arbitration panel.
Wang said in his meeting with the Asean ministers, “only one country mentioned the arbitration case. That’s why Asean said it has no comment on the arbitration case.”
Meanwhile, US National Security Adviser Susan Rice held talks with Chinese officials Monday in the highest-level visit by a White House official since an international tribunal issued a ruling that invalidated China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea.
The tribunal’s July 12 ruling delivered a victory to the Philippines, a US ally, but angered China and appears set to heighten regional tensions. The US, whose navy patrols the waters, has called on China to abide by the ruling, while also urging calm.
The topic was not raised in opening remarks in front of reporters at Rice’s meeting with China’s top diplomat, State Councilor Yang Jiechi.
On Monday Rice told Yang that the US and China have been cooperating more closely on global issues, such as nuclear nonproliferation and the Ebola epidemic. She acknowledged that the sides also faced other “global issues and challenges.”
“To the extent that we are able to surface those challenges in candor and openness, I’m confident that we will be able to work on them, as we have many others in the past,” Rice said.
Yang said that the sides had stable relations, but that there were still differences that had to be carefully managed. Rice met later with top general Fan Changlong, who told her the sides still faced “obstacles and challenges.”
“If we don’t properly handle these factors, it will very likely disturb and undermine this steady momentum of our military-to-military relationship,” said Fan, who serves as vice chairman of the ruling Communist Party’s Central Military Commission.
Rice pointed to the increased communication between the sides that she said has reduced the possibility of conflict, even while their militaries operate in closer proximity than ever before.
Despite such progress, “we have challenges and differences to discuss and to manage,” Rice said.
Rice’s visit is also aimed at preparing for US President Barack Obama’s trip to China in September to attend the leaders’ summit of the Group of 20 major economies.
Rice will also visit Shanghai and meet with business executives to discuss challenges that US businesses face, while operating in China, according to a statement from the US National Security Council.
Image credits: AP