THE ASEAN and CHINA

The ASEAN ministerial meeting recently held  in Manila hoped to address the situation particularly that of the South China Sea row.

The highlighted statement of China after the event displays ironical views that is detrimental to the stability of the region, as the route and passage of global trade passes thereon, is left in the hands of China overpowering her little neighbors.

China through its foreign minister maintains that the ASEAN must be free of outside influence of militarization particularly identifying US as an outside entity in the region.

The statement covers the exclusion of the US to exercise her role to use military assets such as her navy to cruise and move along the routes intended to secure and defend the safety of commerce passing that lane.

Correct, that in the past, there was no activity by anyone using its naval forces to guard and monitor the area as there was never a threat.

The emergence of aggressive reclamation of China in the SCS has prompted international concerns on the intentions of China of physically claiming the area and imposing her nine dash line which is unreal. That is a threat.

The international reactions and mobilization of several countries particularly the US to compel and protest China on her behavior to stop their reclamation is not her fault itself but to demand stoppage of abuse. It is normal to urge the defiant China to make the area free of threats.

Now, the recent developments that China has militarized its islands in the SCS is a growing concern to the ASEAN itself, that normally, these countries must demand that the region must be free of any threats by any countries in the region brought about by the increasing occupation of China injecting military use of their facilities.

Now, what's the point of arguing the MOU in the recent ministerial meetings in Manila?

The notion that the US is the one provoking militarization in the SCS is misplaced. China termed the US as the outside interests that militarizes the region, that to succumb to this understanding, it must be China that must reduce its activity in SCS and remove its nine dash line that grabs the EEZ of the Philippines particularly.

The other ASEAN member nations has very little concern on the nine dash line, because it is shown in the map that the entire line do not  affect most of them, it is only the Philippines.

If not of EEZ, the Philippines could have ignored this concern, but because we are directly affected by it, we exercise that demand to return our rights over it, make it on a status quo. But China is not persuaded by even the UNCLOS of the UN. We are affected economically.

So, who started the problem in the region? It is China.
That after finishing its reclamation they will  finally state that others are outsider in the region is a bully  that has been sealed in Manila.

We will look into the mechanics and features of the MOU of the ASEAN and China, its advantages and means to make the region peaceful.

The article in the ABS CBN

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