(July 14) HANOI/KUALA LUMPUR/BENGALURU/BEIJING: Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the US condemns China’s “illegal” maritime claims in the South China Sea and stands with Southeast Asian countries experiencing Chinese “coercion.” Blinken’s remarks, which he delivered in a video conference with foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN), were deemed irresponsible and intended to cause conflict by China.
Blinken also expressed the US’s “grave concern” about the situation in Myanmar, urging the country’s leaders to take measures to cease bloodshed and restore democracy.
The meeting with the ten-member bloc, which includes Myanmar, is the first since Biden took office in January, and it comes amid concerns among diplomats and others that Washington has not been paying enough attention to a region that is critical to its strategy to counter an increasingly assertive China.
Since a coup on February 1, ASEAN has been leading the main diplomatic push on Myanmar.
Myanmar’s junta has shown little sign of heeding a five-point agreement agreed by ASEAN in April, which calls for a stop to violence, political negotiations, and the appointment of a regional special envoy to Myanmar.
According to State Department spokesperson Ned Price, Blinken urged ASEAN to take “prompt action” on the consensus and nominate the envoy.
According to Price, Blinken requested the release of all those “unjustly arrested” in Myanmar, as well as the restoration of the country’s democratic process.
Blinken emphasized the US rejection of China’s “illegal maritime claims” in the disputed South China Sea, and said the US “stands with Southeast Asian claimants in the face of pressure,” according to Price.
China said that the remarks were intended to destabilize regional peace and stability.
“The US is highly irresponsible in purposefully provoking disagreement over territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea, sowing conflict among China and ASEAN countries,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a briefing in Beijing.
Warm greetings
China has unilaterally proclaimed a U-shaped “nine-dash line” in the South China Sea, which overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines, all ASEAN members.
The river, which also has rich fishing grounds and gas deposits, sees billions of dollars in trade every year.
Aside from the South China Sea, the Mekong River has emerged as a new front in the US-China competition, with Beijing outspending Washington in terms of both spending and influence over downstream countries, which are at the mercy of Chinese control of the river’s flows.
Blinken “promised to sustain US support for a free and open Mekong region under the Mekong-US Partnership,” according to Price.
Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysia’s foreign minister, expressed hope that Wednesday’s summit would signify a “refreshed commitment” to US multilateral cooperation.
According to a copy of his delivered remarks, Hishammuddin added, “We understand that multilateralism was not a main focus for the previous administration, but the Biden administration’s embracing of multilateral cooperation is a good trend.”
“This is the only path ahead for our region’s stability, peace, prosperity, and security.”/n
