July 22, 1999
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| July 22, 1999 | atimes.com | |
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| China Sinking could scuttle new Spratlys formula SINGAPORE - A new proposal by the Philippines to calm tensions over the disputed Spratly Islands has run into early trouble with what Manila officials call the ''accidental'' sinking of a Chinese fishing vessel in the area. The proposal is to be tabled by the Philippines, the country with the weakest military among the six claimants to the Spratlys in the South China Sea, at this week's meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Manila is calling for a regional ''code of conduct'' specifying how parties to the territorial dispute should behave in the area, and what acts should or should not be undertaken in order not to fuel tensions. So far, ASEAN agreements to maintain the status quo in the Spratlys ''have not been able to deter an escalation of the situation in the South China Sea,'' a Filipino diplomat said as ASEAN officials began gathering for a ministerial-level meeting Thursday. Apart from China and the Philippines, the claimants to part or all of the Spratlys are Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei. Among the prohibited acts in the code - which proponents hope all ASEAN countries and Spratlys claimants will accede too - are the assertion of any ''new claim or enlargement of an existing claim,'' and the construction of ''new permanent structures." The code is designed to address actions taken by various claimants in the last few years, especially what critics call ''creeping expansionism'' by China. China built structures on the Philippine-claimed Mischief Reef in 1995, which it called ''typhoon shelters'' for its fishermen. Beijing fortified these structures in 1998, despite expressions of concern by the Philippine government. Malaysia responded by building permanent structures on Investigator Shoal. Manila's idea, believed to be backed by Vietnam, is for ASEAN and other countries to agree on the regional code of conduct and then ask China to sign it sometime in the future. But these efforts to engage China are likely to be complicated by the July 19 collision between Philippine Navy ships and a Chinese fishing vessel. ''It will have a negative impact,'' a Filipino diplomat conceded. Local reports said a Philippine Navy ship collided with a wooden-hulled Chinese vessel after giving chase and firing warning shots. The Chinese fishermen had allegedly been poaching inside the Philippines' 200-mile exclusive economic zone off the Spratlys. Filipino officials have apologized for the incident - an embarrassment for a government that promised this would not happen again after a similar incident in May. ''It was unfortunate that the vessel was sunk,'' Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado said. He added that sea conditions and poor visibility at dusk also helped cause the collision. The nine Chinese fishermen on board were rescued by fellow Chinese on another boat. China has expressed shock over the sinking. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhang Qiyue called it a ''very serious incident." ''Chinese fishermen were doing normal work in traditional fisheries,'' Zhang said Tuesday, saying the Philippine Navy had gone against ''defenseless fishermen." The proposed code of conduct is an offshoot of ASEAN's Plan of Action, adopted in December 1998 in Hanoi, and a 1992 ASEAN declaration that urged all parties to ''exercise restraint and not to resort to force'' in the Spratlys dispute. The Philippines already has bilateral codes with China and Vietnam defining the principles of a code of conduct in the South China Sea, but the new proposal would widen it to a common set of rules on acceptable behavior in the area. (Inter Press Service) | |||||||||
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