China continues to seek to divide ASEAN in the East Sea dispute

China's announcement that it has reached an agreement with Laos, Cambodia and Brunei on the dispute in the East Sea is seen as an attempt to divide ASEAN.

According to the Straits Times, on April 24, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi concluded his visit to three ASEAN countries, Laos, Cambodia and Brunei. In his statement, Mr. Wang Yi stated that China had reached a four-point agreement with the three countries on the East Sea issue.

Satellite image of China illegally reclaiming the Cross Reef in the East Sea. Photo AP

Speaking at a press conference in Laos on April 23, Mr. Wang Yi emphasized that China and the three ASEAN countries have agreed that disputes over islands, rocks, and shoals in the East Sea will “not be an issue between China and the entire ASEAN”. Accordingly, the parties agreed to resolve territorial and maritime disputes through a mechanism of consultation and dialogue between the parties directly involved in the dispute.

China, Laos, Cambodia and Brunei also agreed to oppose “any attempt to unilaterally impose one country’s roadmap on the others” and affirmed that each country has the right to choose its own way of resolving disputes in accordance with international law and that other countries must respect this right.

According to experts, China's move comes as the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands is about to announce its final ruling on the Philippines' lawsuit against China in the East Sea. China has repeatedly rejected the legitimacy of the Court and affirmed that it will not respect the Court's ruling.

In addition, this move by China is also believed to be aimed at preventing ASEAN from reaching consensus on the East Sea dispute once the Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling is announced.

Fear of a united ASEAN

“China is very concerned that ASEAN will issue a joint statement after the Permanent Court of Arbitration issues its final ruling. Wang Yi is trying to attract those member states that are most amenable to China,” said an ASEAN diplomat.

Meanwhile, regarding China's latest move, Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir stated: "Relevant countries need to resolve disputes peacefully in accordance with international law."

Ms. Phuong Nguyen, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), commented: "This is the strongest move that China has made to divide ASEAN to prepare to deal with the Court's ruling."

Mr. Zhang Jie, an expert on Southeast Asian issues at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that China is facing strong diplomatic consensus from many countries before the Permanent Court of Arbitration issues a ruling on the East Sea lawsuit.

“With Europe and the G7 siding with the US, China is very concerned about how ASEAN responds to the ruling. China will consider itself victorious if ASEAN does not directly mention China or does not express its position on the case,” Mr. Zhang said.

Laos, which holds the ASEAN chairmanship in 2016, will have great influence in setting the agenda, according to Mr. Zhang.

Meanwhile, ASEAN has always affirmed that territorial disputes should be resolved through dialogue between the disputing parties. ASEAN believes that ASEAN and China should resolve disputes in the East Sea through a legally binding mechanism such as the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) that ASEAN and China are negotiating towards completion.

Previously, at the ASEAN Summit in Laos last February, ASEAN Foreign Ministers issued a joint statement emphasizing that “ASEAN countries are deeply concerned about recent developments” in the East Sea./.

According to VOV