[ad_1]
Asia-Pacific leaders expressed concern over the situation in the resource-rich South China Sea at a regional summit on Saturday, a Japanese government official said, as security tensions between the United States and China have not shown signs of relief.
The virtual meeting of the 18-member East Asia Summit took place for the first time after the US presidential elections earlier this month. Many Asian countries have begun to consider how to establish ties with the next administration of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden.
The current president of the United States, Donald Trump, was absent for the fourth consecutive year, and National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien participated on his behalf. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also joined the online meeting.
As US diplomacy toward the Asia-Pacific region has become unclear in the wake of the US elections, China has been eager to boost relations with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Claiming sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, Beijing has quickly built artificial islands with military infrastructure in the region.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga denounced measures in the East and South Seas of China that “go against the rule of law and openness” and shared deep concerns with other countries in the region, without explicitly naming China, according to the China official. government.
China has territorial claims in conflict with four ASEAN members, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, and also Taiwan, in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which more than a third of world trade passes.
It also claims the Senkakus, a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea administered by Japan. They are called Diaoyu in China.
At the summit, Suga argued that activities that infringe upon Japan’s sovereignty have persisted in the East China Sea, the official said.
As for the South China Sea, Beijing has sought an early conclusion to talks on a so-called code of conduct with ASEAN to avoid clashes in the waters, with Washington and Tokyo criticizing China’s military concentration there.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the meeting: “I welcome the progress made in the ASEAN-China negotiations” on the code of conduct.
“But there is much work ahead, and we must maintain the momentum of the discussions so that we can conclude an effective and substantive code of conduct,” he added.
In July, the Trump administration said it was taking a tougher stance against Beijing’s maritime assertiveness in the waters, calling Chinese claims of offshore resources there “completely illegal.”
In November, however, China decided to allow its coast guard to use weapons when foreign ships involved in illegal activities in the waters it controls do not obey orders.
Meanwhile, Trump’s absence from the East Asia Summit is seen as a missed opportunity for Washington to extend its influence in the ASEAN region, foreign affairs experts say.
At the meeting, Asia-Pacific leaders also referred to Hong Kong, with the Japanese official quoting Suga as expressing “grave concern” about the situation in China’s special administrative region.
In late June, Beijing enacted a national security law for Hong Kong to crack down on what it sees as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, apparently with the aim of quelling protests against the pro-Beijing government in the territory. .
Since then, many Western nations, including the United States and Great Britain, have been criticizing the extensive legislation for endangering freedoms and human rights in the city, where democracy is supposed to be guaranteed.
Under China’s “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong was promised to enjoy rights and freedoms for 50 years after its return to Chinese rule in 1997.
The East Asia Summit comprises ASEAN, which brings together Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea. and the United States. .
PHOTO GALLERY (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
