A FORMER Philippine representative to the United Nations on Thursday brushed aside the failure of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to issue a joint statement on the Arbitral Tribunal’s ruling on the West Philippine Sea, describing such a document as “irrelevant.”
“We should no longer expect in the future that there will be an Asean statement on China,” said former undersecretary and permanent representative to the UN Lauro Baja. “A statement [from Asean] is becoming irrelevant.”
Baja was reacting to the decision of Laos, the chair for the Asean summit this July, not to issue any joint statement on the tribunal’s ruling invalidating China’s nine-dash line claim in the West Philippine Sea.
Baja said the reason there was no statement was the failure of the 10 Asean members to reach a consensus.
“A statement cannot be issued even if only one member objects to it,” Baja said.
Vietnam agreed to issue a joint statement but the “usual suspects” such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos did not agree to one, he said.
Baja suggested that the Philippines no longer include the Asean in its dealings with China, given the lack of unity among the 10 member-states.
“The Philippines should [instead] concentrate among individual Asean members. Don’t strive anymore for Asean statement,” Baja said, noting that it was the fourth time that Asean failed to issue a joint communique about the West Philippine Sea.
But Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay said a joint statement from Asean was still important.
“We already have full support of many of the international community members. But it will also be important for the Asean to have a unified statement,” Yasay said in an interview.
Yasay said that after the lawyers interpreted the 501-page ruling, the Department of Foreign Affairs will then submit its findings to President Rodrigo Duterte so they can chart the proper course of action.
“The objective for us is to implement and we should implement the arbitral tribunal decision and we will do this through peaceful negotiations. But we must fully understand the implication and coverage of that decision, it will take just a matter of few days. This is the time for us to really be restrained in our comments,” he added.
Asean has often been split on issuing joint statements commenting on the South China Sea dispute for fear of antagonizing China, which has become an important trade and investment partner for many of them, especially for poorer Indo-Chinese countries which also depend on China for financial aid for infrastructure development.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced in April this year that Beijing had reached a four-point consensus with Brunei, Cambodia, and Laos, by which they agreed that disputes over “some Nansha (Spratly) islands and reefs are not an issue between China and Asean and should not affect China-Asean relations.”
They also agreed that such territorial disputes “should be resolved through dialogues and consultations by parties directly concerned,” rather than multilaterally. With AFP