South China Sea: Clashes intensify as US warns nations to cut ties with 'bully firms'
SOUTHEAST Asian nations have been urged to reduce their ties with Beijing by Mike Pompeo, the US' top diplomat, as tensions over the South China Sea increase.
China has no right to claim South China Sea says expert
The American Secretary of State made the provocative comments during a virtual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). ASEAN is made up of ten regional powers, including Thailand and Vietnam, with a number of other countries holding observer status.
It was formed to increase economic collaboration and security cooperation amongst its members.
The meeting took place amidst fierce tensions between Beijing and Washington over the sovereignty of the contested South China Sea.
According to Al Jazeera both countries have been moving military assets into the contested area.
During the meeting Mr Pompeo requested ASEAN members “don’t just speak up but act”.
He added regional powers should “reconsider business dealings” with state controlled Chinese companies which he claimed “bully” other countries.
Mr Pompeo added: “Beijing uses intimidation to undermine the sovereign rights of Southeast Asian coastal states in the South China Sea, bully them out of offshore resources, assert unilateral dominion, and replace international law with ‘might makes right.’ Beijing’s approach has been clear for years.
“In 2010, then-PRC Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told his ASEAN counterparts that ‘China is a big country and other countries are small countries and that is just a fact.’ The PRC’s predatory world view has no place in the 21st century.”
China reacted angrily to Mr Pompeo’s words accusing the US of “flexing muscles” and making “completely unjustified” allegations.
In a statement the Chinese embassy in Washington D.C. commented: “The United States is not a country directly involved in the disputes. However, it has kept interfering in the issue.”
Over the past few years the US, which fears China’s regional ambitions, has been strengthening its relationship with ASEAN members.
The US Department of State has described the group as “built on our shared principles”.
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In a statement the State Department said the meeting addressed “pressing international issues” as well as ongoing health concerns.
It said: “The Secretary and ASEAN Foreign Ministers shared their common position that all disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved peacefully and in line with international law, namely the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
The meeting was hosted by Vietnam though held virtually due to the coronavirus epidemic.
The ongoing economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak was also discussed at length by the foreign ministers.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Thomas Parks, Asia Foundation representative, said: “I think that this is foremost in the minds of the foreign ministers, and I think they’ll be looking for creative and practical ways of trying to quickly recover in 2021.”
He argued tourism could be one of the most potent tools to encourage economic recovery in 2021.