Asean foreign ministers worried by SCS tensions

MANILA, Philippines — Foreign ministers of Southeast Asia’s regional bloc are calling for peaceful dialogue as tensions grow in the South China Sea.

“We closely follow with concern the recent developments in the South China Sea that may undermine peace, security and stability in the region,” the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) top diplomats said in a statement on Saturday.

“We reaffirm the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, safety, security, stability and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the maritime sphere of Southeast Asia, particularly the South China Sea,” they added.

The statement came after China’s repeated aggressive actions against Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea, ignoring calls from the international community to stop its dangerous conduct and refusing to honor the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated Beijing’s claim to nearly the entire South China Sea.

China claims most of the South China Sea through a “nine-dash line” that loops as far as 1,500 kilometers south of its mainland, cutting into the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

During a Dec. 20 phone call with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo that China initiated, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned the Philippines to “act with caution” as Philippines-China ties are now “facing serious difficulties.”

Manalo reaffirmed the Philippines’ interest in protecting its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction while maintaining peace and security and upholding the international rules-based order.

The ASEAN foreign ministers also urged for peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“We reiterate the importance of peaceful dialogue that contributes constructively to the promotion of regional stability and cooperation in the maritime domain,” they said.

China has been an aggressor in numerous incidents as it utilized water cannons and forced a collision which caused damage to Philippine vessels undertaking official supply missions.

Chinese military ships operating near Bajo de Masinloc also used