I paesi Asean cercano un fronte unito per le dispute sul mare
– Le Filippine stanno promuovendo un tentativo di formare una coalizione dei 10 paesi dell’Asean per negoziare con la Cina sulle dispute territoriali nel Mar di Cina Meridionale, ricco di risorse (petrolio, gas, pesci).
– Dovrebbe essere concordato un codice di condotta regionale vincolante per le dispute territoriali in acque rivendicate totalmente o parzialmente da Cina, Filippine, Vietnam, Malesia, Taiwan Borneo.
– La Cina vorrebbe parlarne prima, ma le Filippine, appoggiate dal Vietnam, si oppongono:
o Il ministro Esteri delle Filippine: Asean si incontrerà con la Cina solo dopo aver redatto il comune codice di condotta. La Cina è molto più forte sia economicamente che militarmente di qualsiasi paese Asean e di tutti assieme.
– Negli ultimi 12 mesi sono aumentati i conflitti nell’area – (ci sono stati alcuni episodi di scontri sanguinosi, ad es. quello del 1988 tra Cina e Vietnam in cui morirono 70 marinai vietnamiti); il Vietnam e le Filippine hanno più volte accusato la Cina di intimidazione dei pescatori e di sabotaggio delle navi per la prospezione petrolifera.
La Cina ha ammonito Vietnam e Filippine di non condurre prospezioni per gas e petrolio al largo delle loro coste senza il consenso della Cina.
Updated April 3, 2012, 9:47 a.m. ET
Asean Seeks United Front on Seas Dispute
– PHNOM PENH—Philippine President Benigno Aquino III Tuesday pushed other Southeast Asian nations meeting here in Cambodia to adopt a common stand on negotiating the flash point issue of territorial rights to the resource-rich South China Sea before bringing the region’s powerhouse, China, into the discussions.
– The Philippines and other members of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations are attempting to frame a regional, legally binding code of conduct to guide sovereignty claims in the waters, which are claimed in whole or in part by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.
– China has expressed an interest in playing an earlier role in the discussions, a move which Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan has said is a sign of progress in that it shows Beijing is willing to engage with the Southeast Asian nations in finding a solution to the hot-button issue.
– But the Philippines, backed by Vietnam, according to people familiar with the situation, is resisting. "It is important that we maintain Asean centrality," Mr. Aquino said during the meeting of Asean leaders. "After the code of conduct has been finalized by Asean, then Asean member states will meet with China."
– Discussions over the South China Sea have loomed large over the summit despite key China ally Cambodia’s attempts to play down the controversy. Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Cambodia shortly before the summit in an apparent bid to strengthen Beijing’s already robust ties to Prime Minister Hun Sen and make sure that the territorial dispute is discussed as little as possible.
– The Philippines and other nations, though, have insisted on raising the issue after 12 months of increasingly testy conflicts in the area.
– Vietnam and Manila regularly have accused China of intimidating fishermen and sabotaging oil exploration vessels. China denies doing so, but warns Vietnam and the Philippines from prospecting for oil and natural gas off their shores without China’s permission.
– Occasionally the disputes turn violent. In 1988, a spat between China and Vietnam resulted in the deaths of more than 70 Vietnamese sailors. Many diplomats fear that the current animosity and rising appetite for energy and fish stocks in the region could provoke further bloodshed.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario said in an interview on the sidelines of the summit that Asean needs to come up with a common stand on its own before beginning talks with China, which is much stronger militarily and economically than any of the Asean states or all of the combined.
Chinese government officials couldn’t immediately be reached for comment because of holidays in Beijing.