EU supports ASEAN in South China Sea issue

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) disclosed on Friday, May 17, that a meeting between senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (UN) was held in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam to discuss disputes in the South China Sea.

In a statement, the DFA said that the EU reiterated its support “for the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).” 

DFA reported that the EU underscored its interest in peace, maritime security, stability, freedom of navigation, and unimpeded commerce in the South China Sea and called on “concerned parties to clarify their claims on the basis of UNCLOS.”

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Evan P. Garcia, who was the lead speaker on maritime security cooperation on May 15, discussed with the European leaders ASEAN’s efforts to push for a Code of Conduct (COC) with China, and the Philippines’ recourse to UNCLOS arbitration as “a means to promote a peaceful and rules-based solution to disputes in the West Philippine Sea.”

“The Philippines highly appreciates the EU’s support for the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS,” Undersecretary Garcia said.

On January 22, the Philippines decided to elevate the territorial dispute over the West Philippine Sea to Annex VII arbitration under the UNCLOS as the standoff between the Philippine Navy and Chinese fishing vessels that entered Scarborough Shoal continues a year since it began.

The government wants the tribunal to declare China’s 9-Dash claim as “invalid” and “unlawful.” 

During the 22nd ASEAN summit on April 25, southeast Asian leaders called for urgent talks with China to ensure that increasingly tense territorial disputes over the South China Sea do not escalate into violence. – Rappler.com