A general view of the 19th East Asia Summit (EAS) at the National Convention Center in Vientiane, Laos on October 11, 2024. Photo courtesy: Reuters
Southeast Asian leaders on Sunday (Oct 13, 2024) called for a swift agreement on a code of conduct for the South China Sea based on international law, while calling for an immediate halt to fighting in Myanmar and an inclusive peace to end its civil war. Demanded talks.
The ASEAN chairperson’s statement represents the consensus of meetings of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations that ended Friday in Laos, which included diplomats from the United States, Russia, China, Japan, India and South Korea.
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There is growing conflict in the disputed waters of the South China Sea between China, which claims sovereignty over almost all vital waterways, and ASEAN members, including the Philippines and, most recently, Vietnam.
These disputes threaten to escalate tensions that could eventually involve the United States, which is bound by treaty to defend the Philippines if it is attacked.
A US official said the sea, where $3 trillion of trade flows annually, was a major point of contention at ASEAN meetings, especially as Russia and China objected to the reference to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Was.
The ASEAN statement called for confidence-building measures that could “reduce tensions and the risks of accidents, misunderstandings and miscalculations” in the South China Sea.
It cited “positive momentum” in negotiations on the Maritime Code that could help settle disputes. China and ASEAN agreed to it in 2002, but the formal process to create it did not begin until 2017.
The statement said the bloc looked forward to the early conclusion of “an effective and concrete” code of conduct that is “in accordance with international law”, including UN conventions.
On Myanmar’s escalating war, ASEAN called for an “immediate cessation” of violence and the creation of “an environment conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogue” that is “Myanmar-owned and led”.
The war between ASEAN member Myanmar’s military government and the growing armed resistance is a major concern for the bloc, which has made little progress on a five-point peace plan unveiled just months after a 2021 coup that ousted the junta. Was brought to power.
It is estimated that approximately 18.6 million people, more than a third of Myanmar’s population, are in need of humanitarian assistance.
ASEAN welcomed Thailand’s initiative to host informal talks on Myanmar, which will likely also include other ASEAN members, later this year.
published – October 13, 2024 01:37 PM IST