China angry when ASEAN rejects 'nine-dash line'

China said ASEAN is not involved in the South China Sea sovereignty dispute as the ASEAN Secretary General said the association rejected Beijing's "nine-dash line".

ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh. Photo: Reuters

In a statement to the Philippine daily Manila Times on March 4, Mr. Le Luong Minh, Secretary General of ASEAN, said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations rejects the so-called “nine-dash line” that China uses to assert its sovereignty claims in the East Sea.

According to Secretary General Le Luong Minh, the integration of the entire Southeast Asian bloc could be affected if “any hostile acts or conflicts” occur in the region.

Reuters quoted Mr. Hong Lei, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, yesterday as saying that ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh "has repeatedly made statements that are inconsistent with facts or inconsistent with his position" on the situation in the East Sea.

Hong Lei said that ASEAN is not a party to the dispute in the East Sea. Meanwhile, China signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) with ASEAN in 2002. The two sides are also promoting the signing of the Code of Conduct of Parties (COC). China is having sovereignty disputes in the East Sea with many ASEAN members, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.

China has proposed the so-called "nine-dash line" to claim control over most of the East Sea. Many countries and international experts believe that Beijing's "nine-dash line" is baseless and inconsistent with international law.

China has recently stepped up its reclamation work on reefs in the Spratly Islands, which belong to Vietnam, in an attempt to turn them into artificial islands. Vietnam has repeatedly asked China to stop these illegal activities. Other countries such as the US and the Philippines have also voiced their opposition and warned of the risk of conflict in the region if Beijing completes the construction of these infrastructures, which are believed to be military bases.

According to VNE