So, what difference does the Asean Community make? The first thing to remember is that Asean does not displace the individual nation-state. Each member state has chosen not to subsume any part of its sovereignty to a larger Asean institution or entity. Certainly, in respect of internal affairs, the principle of non-interference is sacrosanct. Therefore, […]
“Our position is crystal clear: we will neither accept nor participate in the arbitration,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spoeksperson Hong Lei said in a press conference on Tuesday. FMPRC MANILA, Philippines – Beijing on Tuesday insisted that the Philippines breached the bilateral consensus between the two countries as it filed an arbitration case before the Permanent […]
KUALA LUMPUR — Ongoing tensions over the South China Sea heightened over the weekend, with China reacting angrily to the latest indications of growing U.S.- Japanese co-operation over the disputed sea. Neither the U.S. nor Japan has a claim over the waters, unlike China, which claims around 80% of the sea. The Philippines, […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — China on Sunday told other countries not to “deliberately stir up trouble” in the disputed South China Sea, while insisting it has no intention of militarizing the strategically vital area even though it has increased construction activities there. Deputy Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin reiterated China’s position that its construction of artificial […]
JAKARTA – Indonesia will openly express its opposition to China’s vast claims in the South China Sea when Southeast Asian senior officials, ministers and leaders gather over the coming days in Kuala Lumpur for a series of annual meetings, stressing that China’s “nine-dash lines” map has no legal basis, a government source said Friday. The […]
Disputes on territorial claims over the South China Sea should be resolved through peaceful means and in accordance with international laws, said Najib Abdul Razak. Opening the 27th Asean Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, the Malaysian prime minister urged all parties to the disputes to exercise restraint. “We stress the importance of resolving […]
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — White House officials said establishing a “rule-based order” in the disputed South China Sea region will be high on U.S. President Barack Obama’s agenda as he meets with regional leaders during the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the adjoining East Asia Summit. Obama arrived Friday […]
Nobody wants to admit it publicly, at least on the Malaysian side that the Asean Defence Ministers Plus meeting in Malaysia early this month nearly became a disaster. Disagreement between the United States and China over how to address the South China Sea issue resulted in the ministers failing to issue a joint declaration outlining […]
The Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) concluded its Defence Ministers Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with no joint declaration in early November amidst strong lobbying by China to omit statement criticising its assertiveness in the South China Sea. As disappointing as it was for countries like Vietnam and the Philippines, this was not […]
China appreciates the “Quiet Diplomacy” approach taken by Malaysia in handling the South China Sea issue, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said. “In another word, they like our non-confrontational approach by using diplomacy as a channel to resolve a complex issue,” he said after a bilateral meeting with China’s President, Xi JinPing here, […]