{"id":99777,"date":"2017-04-25T19:48:20","date_gmt":"2017-04-25T23:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=99777"},"modified":"2017-04-25T19:48:20","modified_gmt":"2017-04-25T23:48:20","slug":"asean-2017-an-opportunity-to-ensure-rules-based-order-succeeds-in-asean-to-settle-wps-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2017\/04\/25\/asean-2017-an-opportunity-to-ensure-rules-based-order-succeeds-in-asean-to-settle-wps-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"ASEAN 2017: An opportunity to ensure rules-based order succeeds in ASEAN to settle WPS issue"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\u201cUnited<\/a>
\u201cUnited ASEAN has still a good number of people and they basically surround China\u2019s backdoors. So China will still, I think, be constrained to give way to some of ASEAN\u2019s demand if they unite,\u201d he told reporters on the sidelines of media forum on the South China Sea. (Photo: ASEAN 2017\/ Facebook<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MANILA\u2013As this year\u2019s chair of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Philippines may have the opportunity to call on its ASEAN neighbors to unite in dealing with West Philippine Sea (WPS)\/South China Sea dispute and ensure that rules-based system succeeds.<\/p>\n

Dr. Jay Batongbacal, director at the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, considered united ASEAN a \u201cformidable force\u201d even as China is much larger than any one of these countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnited ASEAN has still a good number of people and they basically surround China\u2019s backdoors. So China will still, I think, be constrained to give way to some of ASEAN\u2019s demand if they unite,\u201d he told reporters on the sidelines of media forum on the South China Sea.<\/p>\n

As ASEAN leaders meet here this week, Batongbacal hoped that the regional bloc would tackle the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea through addressing crisis mechanism to prevent the excessive law enforcement and military activity, especially against Filipino fishermen.<\/p>\n

He said they should also come up with an agreement on conserving and preserving the marine environment to control the over exploitation and the destruction of these resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to protect this common resource, it\u2019s all on our interest. At least those two, I hope it will have progress even if you have to settle for just this so-called framework,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Batongbacal was referring to the framework for a code of conduct in the West Philippine Sea, which ASEAN members and China targeted to complete within the year.<\/p>\n

Several countries have made competing claims over the South China Sea, including China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.<\/p>\n

Foreign policy analyst Richard Heydarian said the Philippine ASEAN chairmanship could be a venue to raise maritime issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe may not get exactly what we want in the final statement but we can decide on what will be discussed in the ASEAN agenda. Second thing, during President Duterte\u2019s chairman statement especially later this year in November, he can say whatever he wants and that also work in our benefit if we uses that opportunity in the right way,\u201d he said during the forum.<\/p>\n

For his part, Ambassador Albert del Rosario said the Philippines has a \u201cunique and an important opportunity to dwell on how we can work with our neighbors to ensure that this rules-based order succeeds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe purpose of our cooperation should go beyond maintaining friendly ties; we must also cooperate to ensure that we live in a neighborhood where countries follow the rules and uphold their commitments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In 2002, ASEAN and China committed to a non-binding agreement over how they should all behave in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n

\u201cASEAN must be united in countering this challenge to its regional centrality and solidarity. I believe that promoting the rule of law and strengthening multilateralism in support of the law must be key parts of ASEAN\u2019s response,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Del Rosario, chairman of Stratbase ADR Institute, also believed that the ruling should be an integral part of the code of conduct framework being finalized and the eventual code of conduct.<\/p>\n

The West Philippine Sea will be among the important topics to be discussed by the leaders of ASEAN members during the 30th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings slated from April 26 to 29.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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