China Pressures ASEAN Ahead of Important South China Sea Negotiations

BEIJING – China has increased pressure on its neighbors, countries that are members of ASEAN, ahead of important talks on the dispute South China Sea. The senior Beijing diplomat warned the Southeast Asian nations against supporting the United States’ efforts in the region.

China’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs, Luo Zhaohui, said negotiations with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) on the code of conduct in the waters of the South China Sea were resumed starting Thursday after being postponed due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Talks started in 2002 but broke down due to Beijing’s insistence that “countries outside the region” be excluded, a designation that clearly refers to the United States. ASEAN countries are increasingly divided in the vortex of conflict between hostile superpowers amid increasing risks of all-out confrontation in the region. (Read: The Chinese media have tilted Indonesia for opposing China’s claims in the South China Sea)

Speaking via video link at an international seminar hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a state-backed think tank on Wednesday, Luo said the US is at the root of the problems in the South China Sea.

But observers say its tough stance against Washington may be counterproductive as Beijing tries to win support from its neighbors – both in talks and in its rivalry with the United States – because it offers no new ways to address their concerns.

Luo, China’s former ambassador to New Delhi, is also eyeing Washington’s allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, especially those who have voiced support for US President Donald Trump’s stronger stance on Beijing over disputed waterways and many other important issues.

“Despite its interference in the South China Sea, the US established the Quad, an anti-Chinese front line also known as mini NATO. It reflects the Cold War mentality in the US,” Luo said, referring to the US-led quadrangle group with Japan, Australia, and India, as quoted South China Morning Post, Friday (4/9/2020). (Read: Dragged by China in the South China Sea Conflict, Indonesia Beware)

“China is not creating problems, but we are not afraid of trouble,” he said, responding to US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun’s statement on Monday that Washington was open to expanding the four-nation bloc to other like-minded countries.

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