NUSA DUA, Indonesia: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday warned against outside interference over the West Philippine Sea [South China Sea] dispute, in a challenge to Washington, which wants to broach the issue at an Asian summit.
“External forces should not use any excuse to interfere,” he said in a speech at China’s meeting with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) leaders in Indonesia, without directly mentioning the United States.
Asean groups the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
“The dispute on the South China Sea is a matter that has been going on for years. It should be resolved by the relevant sovereign states through friendly consultation and discussion directly,” said Wen in a speech released by the state news agency Xinhua.
Several Asian nations have competing claims over parts of the South China Sea, believed to encompass huge oil and gas reserves, while China claims it all.
One-third of global sea-borne trade passes through the region.
Amid complaints from the Philippines and Vietnam that China was being more aggressive in asserting its territorial claims, Wen insisted it had only peaceful intent.
“China will never seek hegemony and we are against any hegemonic behavior,” he said, adding that his country will “forever be a good neighbor, good friend and good partner of Asean.”
The South China Sea is a vitally important trading route for the US, which has signaled that it will raise the issue during the talks with Asean leaders this week, despite Beijing complaining that it is not an appropriate topic for discussion.
Wen said that China was willing to work with Asean countries toward a set of guidelines for implementing a 2002 Declaration of Conduct on the South China Sea.
“This is a consensus between China and the Asean countries,” the Chinese premier also told the summit held on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.
“China is willing to work with Asean states for the full implementation of the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, strengthening cooperation and work on the drafting of the South China Sea Code of Conduct.”
The Code of Conduct would be a legally binding set of rules on the conflict but, given the complexity of the issue, it remains far from realization.
President Barack Obama, who will become the first US leader to attend the summit on Saturday, hailed the grouping as the top forum for tackling seething regional maritime disputes.
China has balked at directly discussing territorial rows including rival claims by regional nations over the South China Sea in such meeting but Washington says that the security of vital trade routes deserves serious dialogue.
The summit “can be the premier arena for us to be able to work together on a wide range of issues — maritime security or non-proliferation,” Obama said also on Friday.
The US president added that the grouping of 10 Southeast Asian nations plus Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, the United States and Russia was also key to developing cooperation on disaster relief and aid.
Obama spoke as he met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the first of a string of one-on-one talks on the eve of the summit, which includes sessions with the leaders of Thailand and the Philippines.
Singh also told Obama that he was happy to report “that there are today no irritants whatsoever in our working together in a multiplicity of areas, both bilateral, regional and global issues.”
Obama, who has irritated China during a Pacific tour designed to highlight a new US push in Asia, visited India a year ago and many analysts in Washington see the country as a counterweight to China’s rise to superpower status.
US officials say that while the Balisummit is not a tribunal for deciding rival territorial claims, issues such as the South China Sea dispute deserve an airing at regional meetings.
But on Tuesday, Beijing, alluding to the strategic role that the United States intends to continue to play, stressed that territorial disputes in the South China Sea should be handled by the nations affected.
AFP
