China: Path of confrontation over South China Sea 'doomed'

From ABS-CBN (Jun 27): China: Path of confrontation over South China Sea 'doomed'

With just a few days before ASEAN member-states meet for the 46th Ministerial Meeting in Brunei Darussalam, China has stepped up its rhetoric aimed at nations laying claim to isles and waters off the South China Sea.

China's foreign minister Wang Yi warned choosing the path of confrontation will be "doomed," and turning to third parties will be a "futile" effort.

"If certain claimant countries choose confrontation, that path will be doomed. If such countries try to reinforce their poorly grounded claims through the help of external forces, that will be futile and will eventually prove to be a strategic miscalculation not worth the effort," Wang said after a speech at the annual Tsinghua World Peace Forum.

China is locked in a territorial dispute with the Philippines, Vietnam and other countries over areas rich in marine life and possible oil and gas deposits.

The so-called third party, though not mentioned, alludes to the US which is a close ally of the Philippines and Taiwan.

Wang's statements came after the Armed Forces of the Philippines confirmed it is in the middle of crafting an agreement to allow US forces to regain access to Philippine air and naval bases in Subic, Olongapo meant to counter China's aggressive presence in the disputed seas.

The 10-member ASEAN hopes to reach a legally binding Code of Conduct to manage maritime conduct in the disputed areas. But for now, a watered-down "Declaration of Conduct" is in place.

"Let me clarify issues. We're not going to construct bases. We will be accepting access. Right now, the agreement has not been firmed up. We are in the process of crafting the agreement relative to our Constitution and the Visiting Forces Agreement," said Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.

The 46th ASEAN meeting will also hold a post ministerial conference with dialogue partners, China and Japan meant to exchange views on regional and international issues, regional architecture and external relations.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/06/27/13/china-path-confrontation-over-south-china-sea-doomed