Sosok.ID – Southeast Asia being afflicted by two great powers.
China and America United (US) scramble for influence in ASEAN.
In fact, the two of them have openly won the sympathy of the countries Southeast Asia to side.
Conditions at Sea China South is still far from cool.
Currently, Beijing has stepped up pressure on its Southeast Asian neighbors ahead of important talks on the South China Sea dispute.
A senior Chinese diplomat warned ASEAN against supporting US efforts in the region.
Launch South China Morning PostLuo Zhaohui, China’s deputy foreign minister for Asian affairs, said negotiations with ASEAN on a code of conduct on the waterway would resume on Thursday after being postponed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Talks began in 2002, but broke down due to Beijing’s insistence that “countries outside the region” be excluded, a clear reference to the United States. ASEAN nations are divided over the support of hostile superpowers amid the increasing risk of an all-out confrontation in the region.
Speaking via video link at an international seminar organized by the foreign ministry and a state-backed think tank on Wednesday, Luo said the US was the culprit and root cause of the problems in the South China Sea.
Still quoting South China Morning Post, but observers say Beijing’s tough statements 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 China offers no new ways to address their concerns.
Luo, who is a former Chinese 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 towards Beijing over disputed waterways and many other important issues.
“Despite its interference in the South China Sea, the US established the Quad, the anti-Chinese front line also known as mini NATO. It reflects the Cold War mentality in the US, ”said Luo, referring to the US-led quadrilateral with Japan, Australia and India.
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“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.
Previously reported, launched Voice of America (VOA)Beijing said on July 1 in a consultation with Southeast Asian leaders that it would continue negotiations on a South China Sea code of conduct that has been pending since 2002.This code of conduct will help ships avoid accidents and resolve accidents in the vast and extensive South China Sea. crowded.
China and its negotiating partners, which consist of 10 ASEAN member countries, have so far refused to discuss the topic this year as they are grappling with the Covid-19 outbreak.
Previously, conditions in the South China Sea were heating up. In the first half of this year, China flew military planes at least eight times in a corner of the sea near Taiwan and sent survey vessels into waterways claimed by Malaysia and Vietnam. Even last week, the country held South China Sea military exercises with a real focus on amphibious assaults.
“I think the reason why China is offering talks is because it feels very confident that it is in a strong position and can shape the direction or trajectory of the discussion and its colleagues are not in a strong position, because of the coronavirus (and) because they don’t have any assets. in the ocean, ”explained Stephen Nagy, a senior professor of political and international studies at the International Christian University in Tokyo FLY.
A This article was broadcast on Cash under the title“
– China warns ASEAN: Don’t support the troublemaker ”
Southeast Asia
