Special points worth noting in the joint statement of AMM-52 on the East Sea
In the joint statement of AMM-52, ASEAN Foreign Ministers expressed concern over the “serious incident” in the East Sea.
On July 31, the 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM-52) issued a joint statement expressing concerns about issues related to the East Sea after a meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.
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| Satellite images show China illegally reclaiming a reef in the East Sea. Photo: CSIS. |
The document said the ministers expressed concern about “serious incidents” in the South China Sea, without naming any specific countries. However, the ministers did point out that China is increasing its military activities in the sea.
Sources revealed last July showed that China had tested anti-ship ballistic missiles in the East Sea - where Beijing unilaterally and unreasonably claims sovereignty over almost the entire area.
If we look back at the Joint Statement of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-51) in Singapore in August 2018, we can see that the statement did not include the phrase “serious incident” when talking about the situation in the East Sea. The Joint Statement of AMM-52 clearly reflects that the current tense situation in the East Sea has been pushed to another level.
According to NHK, the draft of the Joint Statement even used stronger language such as “grave concerns.” However, sources close to the matter said that in the end, the ministers agreed to express only “concerns” when considering regional relations.
In addition, in the joint statement, ASEAN Foreign Ministers also called on the US and North Korea to continue dialogue to move towards denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula./.
