PH-Vietnam agree to address tension in the South China Sea

From the Manila Bulletin (Jul 4): PH-Vietnam agree to address tension in the South China Sea

With China becoming increasingly aggressive in the disputed South China Sea, the Philippines and Vietnam emphasized the urgent need to address the escalating challenges in the region through peaceful means and in accordance with international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

This communal view was raised by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh during their meeting in Hanoi  Wednesday.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the discussions between the two foreign ministers were “comprehensive, constructive and productive, and covered bilateral cooperative projects, international and regional concerns, and people-to-people ties.”

At the same time, the two foreign ministers urged that the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) be implemented in its entirety, including refraining from the use of coercive force.

The two Ministers also agreed that the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) be expeditiously concluded without undue delay.

STRONGER TIES

In this regard, Del Rosario and his Vietnamese counterpart reaffirmed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Joint Statement on the Developments in the South China Sea issued last May 10 and the ASEAN Six-Point Principles on the South China Sea.

Aside from the full implementation of the DOC and the Guidelines for the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, the six-point principles of ASEAN include : the early conclusion of a COC, the full respect of the universally recognized principles of International Law, including the UNCLOS, the continued exercise of self-restraint and non-use of force by all parties, and the peaceful resolution of disputes, in accordance with universally recognized principles of International Law.

On a bilateral basis, the two ministers discussed a wide range of issues and agreed to further promote cooperation in many areas such as fisheries, ocean and maritime, defense and security, trade and investment. The Foreign Ministers also agreed to advance partnership to a higher level, including the establishment of a Joint Commission headed by the two Ministers to formulate a road map in working towards a strategic partnership.

The two countries are currently embroiled in separate territorial disputes with China over territories in the South China Sea.

FLOWERS NOT THORNS

Meanwhile, China urged the United States to have an objective view of China’s national conditions as well as its domestic and foreign policies.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking to former US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson ahead of next week’s China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue said he hoped both countries could use such gatherings to keep “injecting positive energy” into the relationship.

“The two sides should expand common interests, deepen cooperation, plant more flowers, not thorns, clear the interference and avoid suspicion and confrontation,” Xi was quoted as saying by the official China Daily.

China would stick to the path of peaceful development and shoulder its international duties, Xi added.

China and the United States, as the world’s two largest economies, have close trade and business ties and work together on important international issues like North Korea.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is also attending, and will likely address Chinese concerns over what Beijing views as Washington’s support for Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines over their territorial disputes with China.

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