Manila conducive to bilateral talks with Beijing to resolve disputes in the seas
President Duterte does not intend to raise territorial issues in the South China Sea during the next ASEAN summit. He wants to address the issue "face to face", avoiding open conflict. Jakarta reaffirms its sovereignty projects and is ready to change the name of the waters off the coast of Borneo. It will present its request soon to the UN.
Manila (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Manila does not intend to raise the old issue of the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, which has pitted it against China alongside other countries in the Asia-Pacific (including Vietnam and the Philippines), during the next Asean summit . This was announced by the president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, ahead of the summit that brings together 10 countries in South-East Asia scheduled for next month in Laos.
During a press conference Duterte explained that he prefers to tackle the issue calmly and as a face to face confrontation with the Chinese side. This manner of negotiation has always been supported by China, which prefers to address territorial disputes in the seas in bilateral talks rather than in group summits.
"I will only bring the issue when we are together face to face," he told reporters late Wednesday night. "Because if you quarrel with them now and you claim sovereignty, make noise here and there, they might not just even want to talk".
This is a radical change of direction for Manila, after the arbitration promoted by the previous Aquino administration. The case eneded up in the International Tribunal which judged Beijing claims in the area "without any foundation".
Duterte has finally added that his special envoy to China, former President Fidel Ramos, pave the way for possible talks with Beijing. "Let us create an environment where we can sit down, talk directly, and that is the time when I would say, we proceed from here", he concluded.
If the Philippines seem to prefer the path of reconciliation, Indonesia seems to want to revive its territorial claims on some disputed areas by changing the name of the waters within 200 nautical miles that define the territorial limits. The idea is to change the name of the South China Sea to the Natuna Sea, in the portion of the sea that surrounds the famous islands in the north-west of the island of Borneo.
Ahmad Santosa, head of Task Force 115 that fights illegal fishing in Indonesian waters, confirms that the matter will be presented to the United Nations, adding that "if there are no objections ... the name will be changed in the Natuna Sea". For the mayor of the Natuna islands, Hamid Rizal, this change will help people understand that the area belongs to Indonesia and so combat illegal fishing.
Just yesterday, in conjunction with the National Day of Independence, the Indonesian authorities sunk 60 vessels, 58 of them foreign, for illegal fishing. According to data provided by the Ministry of Fisheries and Sea Affairs from December 2014 236 boats were intercepted intercepted and sunk.
Disputes over the seas are likely to deteriorate the bilateral and multilateral relations between China and the nations in the area, as well as undermine the unity of the ASEAN bloc (an association that brings together 10 countries of South-East Asia). It is made up of nations that oppose Chinese policy (Vietnam), other seeking to revive the relations (such as the Philippines, post arbitration), as well as Beijing's historical allies like Laos and Cambodia.
On July 24, the summit of Asean foreign ministers ended without mentioning the decision of the international arbitration and experts now doubt the birth of a unified movement partly because of China's policy of "divide and conquer" in the region.
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12/02/2016 15:14
06/04/2016 10:01
