"Mr. Le Luong Minh has repeatedly made biased comments on the issue of the South China Sea, which were untrue and incompatible with his capacity as ASEAN secretary-general," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei at a routine press briefing.
In an interview with the Manila Times, Le Luong Minh said China's nine-dash line policy was "not binding", adding China's expansion and "illegal occupation" of islands affected the status quo and complicated the situation.
"China has abundant historical and legal evidence in its sovereignty and claims in the South China Sea," Hong said, adding the country's position on the issue was clear and consistent.
China supports the building of ASEAN community, Hong said, however, ASEAN is not a concerned party in the South China Sea dispute, he added.
"ASEAN belongs to the ASEAN family not a certain country," he said, adding Le's comments had damaged ASEAN's image as a regional organization.
"We advise Mr. Le Luong Minh do his part as ASEAN secretary-general, stick to ASEAN's neutrality on the South China Sea issue, and do more to promote the healthy development of China-ASEAN relations," said the spokesperson.
Xinhua
globaltimes.cn
11/3/15
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Philippines Bolsters Arbitration Case Against China ...
ReplyDeleteThe Philippines on Monday sent more than 3,000 pages of additional supporting materials for its case with the Permanent Court of Arbitration that questions China’s claims in the South China Sea.
With this submission, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs added 12 more volumes to the already voluminous 4,000-page pleading it sent to the Court in The Hague a year ago.
Foreign Affairs Spokesman Charles Jose said the submission addresses concerns on the merits of the Philippines’ position and why the Philippines thinks the arbitration tribunal should have jurisdiction over the case.
“The Philippines is confident that its answers to the Tribunal’s questions leave no doubt that the Tribunal has jurisdiction over the case and that the Philippines claims, including in particular its claims concerning the nine-dash line, are well-founded in fact and law,” said Jose.
The Philippines questions what it calls China’s “excessive” assertion over the South China Sea’s features. China’s so-called “nine-dash line” claim in the disputed sea covers a tongue-shaped swath whose tip reaches as far as south as Malaysian waters.
China maintains it has “indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea’s islands.” Apart from the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have competing claims in the resource rich sea......................http://www.voanews.com/content/philippines-bolsters-arbitration-case-against-china/2683258.html
17/3/15
Vietnam calls for 'self-restraint' in disputed South China Sea...
ReplyDeleteVietnam and Australia called on Wednesday for "self-restraint" in the South China Sea and warned against the unilateral use of force, an obvious reference to China's increasingly aggressive presence that has stirred concerns across the disputed region.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met Australian counterpart Tony Abbott in Canberra, where they will sign a deal on issues including security and climate change.
Vietnam and other wary Southeast Asian countries have complained about China's controversial policy of land reclamation on disputed isles in the South China Sea. Beijing in turn has said it is not seeking to overturn international order.
Dung told the Australian parliament there was an imperative need to draw up a code of conduct for the South China Sea.
"We agreed ... (to) exercise self-restraint and refrain from actions that may escalate the tension in the region, including the use of force to unilaterally change the status quo," Dung said.
China claims about 90 percent of the South China Sea, displaying its reach on official maps with a so-called nine-dash dotted line that stretches deep into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia................http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/vietnam-calls-for-self-r/1723884.html
17/3/15