ASEAN members clash over South China Sea draft

A Chinese fishery administration vessel was sent to the disputed Scarborough Shoal in April to stop the Philippine navy arresting Chinese fishermen. (Photo/CNS)

Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have been quarreling over territorial claims in the South China Sea as the 10-nation bloc holds an annual forum in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh this week. The Philippines and Vietnam, the two nations with the largest claims in the maritime region, with the exception of China and Taiwan, are looking to block an increasingly assertive Beijing with support from the United States, while Cambodia and Thailand are standing with China to avoid the sensitive and complex issue boiling over, reports our sister newspaper China Times.
Conflicting claims in the resource-rich area, which have triggered standoffs between China and the Philippines and with Vietnam respectively in recent months, have not been included in the formal agenda for the meeting. However, Vietnam and the Philippines, rival claimants to the Spratlys, Paracels and Scarborough Shoal, made a move at the summit attended by ASEAN foreign ministers which Beijing sees as deliberately provocative.
Propelled by a strong push by the Philippines and Vietnam, ASEAN members announced earlier this week that they have drafted a set of rules governing maritime rights and navigation, and procedures for when members disagree, in a bid weaken China's influence over the area. As it is not a member of the organization, China was not party to the draft.

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