Asean, Australia: SCS must be sea of peace

Southeast Asian and Australian leaders yesterday warned against actions that "endanger peace" in the South China Sea, following fresh maritime confrontations between China and the Philippines.

- ALEXIS ROMERO and MICHAEL PUNONGBAYAN

Simmering tensions in the trade corridor threatened to boil over earlier this week, when China Coast Guard (CCG) ships in the Spratly Islands were accused of hounding Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels.

China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, ignoring legal precedents and competing claims from a host of Southeast Asian nations.

The festering dispute poses one of the region’s most vexing security challenges, looming large during a three-day summit between Australia and the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“We encourage all countries to avoid any unilateral actions that endanger peace, security and stability in the region,” read a joint declaration hammered out between ASEAN members and Australia.

“We recognize the benefits of having the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability and prosperity,” the statement added.

As the summit kicked off on Monday morning, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo delivered a simple message to Beijing: “Stop harassing us.”

The following day, CCG boats were accused of harassing a flotilla of Philippine ships sailing on a resupply mission.

The Chinese vessels were involved in two separate collisions, the PCG said, and blasted one of the resupply boats with a powerful water cannon.

Bound to act by consensus, the ASEAN forum has long struggled to make inroads on the overlapping claims staked throughout the South China Sea.

But the fraught atmosphere hanging over the region has nations such as the Philippines now pushing for the bloc to take a firmer stance.