The Chinese ambassador to the Philippines has encouraged China and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to hold speedy face-to-face negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the disputed South China Sea.
The ambassador, Huang Xilian, made the call Thursday as Beijing expressed preference for a 2021 deadline for the completion of the consultation of the COC for the South China Sea.
“China hopes that all parties will work harder to speed up the negotiation in a flexible and pragmatic way,” Huang said, in a written interview.
“China has proposed to hold face-to-face consultations in China once conditions permit to push forward the second reading of the COC.” he added.
In August 2018, ASEAN and China agreed to a single draft of the code of conduct (COC), with an agreement reached in November 2018 for both sides to finalize the document within three years, starting from 2019.
The first reading of the Single Draft COC Negotiating Text (SDNT) was completed, but the pandemic has stalled talks for the document’s second reading.
The pandemic has temporarily delayed the consultation process, but China, the Philippines, as the coordinator of China-ASEAN relations, and other ASEAN countries have been maintaining communication on resuming the COC consultation. But recently, a working level online meeting was held successfully, it can be noted.
Huang emphasized that Beijing is willing to continue to strengthen practical cooperation on the South China Sea with the Philippines and promote joint development of oil and gas so as to bring tangible benefits to the two countries.
“What is worth paying attention to is that the world has entered the information age, and data has become the most important “oil and gas “ in the era of digital economy. China and the Philippines have mutual advantages in the field of digital economy and have a broad room for cooperation,” he said.
“The two countries should not only promote the traditional joint development of offshore oil and gas, but also vigorously expand cooperation in the field of digital economy,” the Chinese envoy stressed.
Huang insisted that China wants resolution of the maritime dispute through dialogue in line with the interests of the countries in the region, and for the sake of maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.
The Chinese ambassador stressed that China would not recognize the 2016 Arbitral Award rendered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Netherlands, which invalidated Beijing’s massive claims over the South China Sea and upheld Manila’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.
According to Huang, the proper handling of the South China Sea dispute between China and the Philippines must be grounded on the earnest implementation of the principles and consensus reached by the two heads of state on the SCS dispute.
Huang said “This is the foundation for China-Philippines relations to maintain a healthy and stable development,” adding that both countries “should avoid misjudgment caused by unilateral actions that would complicate the situation in the disputed waters.
“Third, we should continue to maintain close communication on maritime issues through existing dialogue channels such as the BCM and avoiding media speculation. At the same time, we should promote the establishment of a bilateral maritime and air liaison mechanism to deal with maritime emergencies in a more timely and effective manner.”
“We sincerely hope that the Philippines will continue to work with us to safeguard the hard-won overall sound situation of bilateral relations and of peace and stability in the South China Sea,” the Chinese envoy said.
“South China Sea is the common home of China, Philippines, and other ASEAN littoral countries. We have been living together in peace for thousands of years. Peace and stability are China’s greatest strategic interests in the South China Sea and the common strategic demands of China and ASEAN countries,” he added.
There was no immediate reaction from the Philippine side, and neither from any of the ASEAN countries regarding the encouragement by the ambassador to the ASEAN countries and China to hold face=to-face consultations on the COC in the South China Sea.
Taking a dig at the United States for endangering the peace and stability in the region, Huang said: “Facts have proved that the US is the biggest driver of the militarization of the SCS and the most dangerous external factor endangering the peace and stability of the SCS. All regional countries should be vigilant, and prevent the region’s hard-won peace and development from being sabotaged.”
There was no immediately available comment from the US Embassy in Manila.
China’s continuing harassment and aggressive actions against claimants such as Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines, all ASEAN members, also undermined trust and were seen to heavily impact negotiations for the elusive code, which aims to restrain hostile acts in the South China Sea.
China along with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan are embroiled in maritime disputes over the SCS, particularly in its southern part, called the Spratlys.
In the case brought by the Philippines, the court ruled that Beijing’s claim violated Manila’s economic and sovereign rights under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Surprisingly, President Rodrigo Duterte, who has cultivated friendly ties with China since assuming the presidency in 2016, invoked the ruling in a speech before the UN General Assembly in September.