The stakes have risen in the South China Sea as the US military shifts its attention back to Asia, emboldening the?Philippines?and Vietnam?to take tougher stance against?Beijing.
Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong addresses the closing ceremony of the 45th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Phnom Penh on Friday, July 13.
Samrang Pring/Reuters
EnlargeA Southeast Asian regional summit ended in acrimony on Friday over?China's assertive role in the strategic?South?China?Sea, failing to agree on a concluding joint statement for the first time in its 45-year history.
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Divisions between the 10 countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) follow a rise in incidents of naval brinkmanship involving Chinese vessels in the oil-rich waters that has sparked fears of a military clash.
The?Philippines?said it "deplores" ASEAN's failure to address the worsening row, and criticized?Cambodia ? a close ally of?China ? for its handling of the issue during the foreign ministers' meeting.
Without mentioning?China, Philippine Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario told a news conference in?Manila?that one "member state's" intrusions into Philippine territory were part of a "creeping imposition" of its claim over the entire?South?China Sea and were raising the risk of a conflict.
The?South?China?Sea has become?Asia's biggest potential military flashpoint as Beijing's sovereignty claim over a huge, looping area has set it against?Vietnam?and the?Philippines?as the three countries race to tap possibly huge oil reserves.
The stakes have risen as the US military shifts its attention and resources back to Asia, emboldening its long-time ally the?Philippines?and former foe?Vietnam?to take a bolder stance against?Beijing.
ASEAN's divisions are an ominous sign for a bloc that wants to create a regional economic community by 2015 that would bring down barriers in trade, labor and financial markets ? partly to compete with?China?for investment.
China?is a member of the East Asian Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum which also held meetings in?Cambodia.
"The increasing assertion by this member state over the disputed and non-disputed areas poses a threat to the peace and stability in the?Asia-Pacific?region," del Rosario said.
"If left unchecked, the increasing tension that is being generated in the process could further escalate into physical hostilities which no one wants."
China?has been accused of using its heavy influence over summit chair?Cambodia and several other ASEAN members to block regional-level discussions on the issue and attempts to agree a binding maritime Code of Conduct to manage the dispute.
'Strong exception'
The?Philippines?said it took "strong exception" to?Cambodia's statement that the non-issuance of a communique was due to "bilateral conflict between some ASEAN member states and a neighbouring country."
It said it had only requested that the communique mention the recent standoff between Chinese and Philippine ships at the Scarborough Shoal, a horseshoe-shaped reef in waters that both countries claim.
Indonesia, the biggest economy in?Southeast Asia, played down the rift. "No doubt the?South?China?Sea at the moment is a difficult issue but I'm sure ASEAN will find ways and means to be able to address that problem," Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa?told Reuters.
But the rising tensions were underlined on Friday when the?Chinese navy?said that one of its frigates had run aground on Half Moon Shoal, about 90 nautical miles (170 km) off the western Philippine island of?Palawan.
China?said it was conducting a rescue mission and the?Philippines?said it was sending "assets" to the area to investigate and provide assistance if needed.
"That's a very strategic location to strengthen their claim over the?Reed Bank, they are getting closer to our territory, putting one foot inside our fence," one military official told Reuters.
The?Philippines?scrambled aircraft and ships to the Reed Bank area last year after Chinese navy?ships threatened to ram a Philippine survey ship.
'Combat ready'
China?said last month it had begun "combat-ready" patrols in waters it said were under its control in the?South?China?Sea, after saying it "vehemently opposed" a Vietnamese law asserting sovereignty over the Paracel and?Spratly islands.
Philippine President?Benigno Aquino?told Reuters in an interview last week that he may ask the?United States?to deploy spy planes to monitor the disputed waters.
China, whose trade and investment ties with?Cambodia?have surged in recent years, has warned that "external forces" should not get involved in the dispute, which it says should only be discussed bilaterally.?Vietnam,?Malaysia,?Brunei?and?Taiwanalso lay claim to parts of the?South?China?Sea.
Vietnam's Foreign Minister?Pham Binh Minh?said he was "very disappointed" over the failure to issue a statement.
In a statement issued late on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister?Yang Jiechi repeated that there was "no dispute" about?China's sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal.
"China?hopes the Philippine side faces the facts squarely and stops creating trouble," he added.
The?United States?has stressed it is neutral in the long-running maritime dispute, despite offering to help boost the?Philippines' decrepit military forces. It says freedom of navigation is its main concern about a waterway that carries $5 trillion in trade ? half the world's shipping tonnage.
(Stuart Grudgings?reported from Kuala Lumpur.; Additional reporting by Manuel Magato in?Manila, Ben Blanchard in?Beijing?and Olivia Rondonuwu in Jakarta; Editing by Jason Szep and Jeremy Laurence)
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/COL1stAG0lU/South-China-Sea-meeting-ends-in-stalemate
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