PH to ASEAN: Implement principles on South China Sea

MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III on Sunday, November 18, called for regional “centrality” on maritime security and cooperation in the South China Sea, where the Philippines and 3 other ASEAN member countries have territorial claims disputed by China.

In his speech before the plenary at the 21st ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Aquino called for the regional bloc to implement its Six-Point Principles on the South China Sea (also called West Philippine Sea) for “maintaining peace and stability in the region.”

President Aquino said the principles “manifest our collective vision, founded on the principle of centrality.”

“My country supports its effective implementation, which will highlight the fruits of constructive dialogue, strengthen our resolve, and reaffirm our respect for international law such as UNCLOS,” Aquino added.

ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles on the South China Sea, adopted after the Foreign Minister’s Meeting in Cambodia in July 2012, are the following:

1. Full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (2002)
2. Guidelines for the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (2011)
3. Early conclusion of a Regional Code of Conduct in the South China Sea
4. Full respect of the universally recognized principles of International Law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
5. Continued exercise of self-restraint and non-use of force by all parties
6. Peaceful resolution of disputes, in accordance with universally recognized principles of International Law, including UNCLOS

ASEAN member countries Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam are involved in a maritime and territorial dispute with China over certain areas of the South China Sea, about 90% of which Beijing claims to be its sovereign territory. – Rappler.com