ASEAN condemns illegal island building activities in the East Sea
ASEAN Foreign Ministers said that China's continued illegal reclamation of islands and reefs in the East Sea could increase regional tensions.
|
Subi Reef, part of Vietnam's Truong Sa archipelago, illegally occupied by China, seen from above in April 2017. Photo:Reuters. |
Foreign ministers from the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) today issued a joint statement after a one-day conference in Singapore.AFPreported. Without mentioning China by name, the statement referred to Beijing's recent illegal reclamation activities in the East Sea.
"The ministers took note of the concerns expressed by some ministers on the land reclamations and other activities in the area, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region," Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said in a joint statement.
China defended its construction activities in the South China Sea in December 2017 as “normal” in response to new satellite images released by a US think tank showing the deployment of radar systems and other equipment there.
Beijing agreed to start negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) after a meeting with ASEAN last year, but Balakrishnan warned that it would be a “complicated” process.
China unilaterally claims sovereignty over almost the entire area of the East Sea, overlapping with the waters of neighboring countries. Beijing illegally reclaims islands and reefs it controls in the East Sea, including building runways, causing international concern.
