US seeks Asean unity in territorial dispute

BRISBANE, Australia – US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling for Southeast Asian states to present a united front to the Chinese in dealing with territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Clinton arrived in Indonesia’s capital yesterday to offer strong US support for a regionally endorsed plan to ease rising tensions by implementing a code of conduct for all claimants to disputed islands.

Jakarta is the headquarters of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and Clinton will also press the group to insist that China agree to a formal mechanism to reduce short-term risks of conflict and ultimately come to final settlements over sovereignty.

She wants “to strengthen ASEAN unity going forward,” a senior US official told reporters on board Clinton’s plane as she flew from the Cook Islands to Australia for a brief refueling stop en route to Indonesia.

Indonesia played a leading role in putting the six-point plan together after ASEAN was unable to reach consensus on the matter in July. The official said the US is “encouraged” by the plan but wants it acted on, particularly implementation and enforcement of the code of conduct, which has languished since a preliminary framework for it was first agreed in 2002.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to publicly preview Clinton’s meetings.

The US has asserted a national security interest in the peaceful resolution to South China Sea disputes and hopes for progress to be made before a November summit of East Asian leaders that President Barack Obama plans to attend.

The US position has riled China, which has become increasingly assertive in pressing its territorial claims with its smaller neighbors and wants the disputes to be resolved individually with each country.

The US says it takes no position on the conflicting claims but wants to see them resolved between China and ASEAN, which has collective clout that its 10 members do not have individually.

Clinton will travel to China on Tuesday to continue talks on the South China Sea and a number of other issues, including the crisis in Syria and ways to deal with Iran and North Korea’s nuclear programs.

Clinton will be in Indonesia on the second stop of an 11-day, six-nation tour that will take her to East Timor, Brunei and Russia’s Far East after her stop in China.

In Indonesia, the official said, Clinton would also raise human rights concerns, including a recent uptick in mob violence against religious minorities.

The official described the incidents as “disturbing” and said Clinton would be asking Indonesian authorities how they intend to deal with them. The US has championed Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, as a model for a moderate Islamic democracy.

Human Rights Watch on Sunday called for Clinton to bring up such cases and press the government “to take concrete steps to address rising religious intolerance” in Indonesia. It also asked her to address Indonesian authorities’ use of blasphemy and criminal defamation laws that it says are being used to persecute minorities and political activists.

“Indonesia needs to recognize that oppressive laws and policies against religious minorities fuel violence and discrimination,” the human rights group said.

DND mum on new structures in Mischief Reef

The Department of National Defense (DND) yesterday kept mum on China’s move to build new structures in Mischief Reef, one of the areas being claimed by the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

DND spokesman Peter Galvez said they would just let the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) deal with the matter.

“The best agency to address that is the DFA,” Galvez said in a phone interview.

The military also kept mum on the issue, saying the DND would just speak on its behalf.

Galvez nevertheless said efforts are underway to upgrade the capabilities of troops securing the country’s sovereignty.

“We continue to enhance our maritime domain awareness with the help of various countries that will provide us with capabilities,” he said.

Galvez was quick to point out that the upgrade efforts are not directed towards any country.

“The development of our capabilities is intended to address issues like enforcing our maritime sovereignty, curbing piracy and protecting our sea lanes. It is also aimed at assisting distressed fishermen,” the DND spokesman said.

“These are the gaps that we wanted to address earlier,” he added.

Galvez said the DND is now talking to other countries to acquire equipment for territorial defense and border security.

On Monday, The STAR reported that China had built new structures in Mischief Reef, which the Philippines calls Panganiban Reef.

Mischief Reef is close to Ayungin Shoal, where the Philippines has a coast watch station. The reef, which has been occupied by China since 1995, is only about 70 nautical miles from Palawan.

The Philippines is claiming several islets, shoals, reefs and sandbars in the Spratly Group of Islands in the West Philippine Sea.

Its neighbors Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims in the area.

Goodwill visits and multilateral exercises continue

Meanwhile, another US military ship docked in Subic Freeport yesterday amid the territorial disputes.

The US embassy said the USS Frank Cable arrived in Subic Bay yesterday for a routine port call and goodwill visit that will last for 12 days.

The embassy said the visit “highlights the strong historic, community, and military connections” between the US and the Philippines.

“USS Frank Cable is here to engage with their counterparts in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and to allow the crew an opportunity for rest and relaxation,” the US embassy said in a statement.

USS Frank Cable is an L.Y. Spear class submarine tender used to carry vital military supplies.

The ship is the fourth US ship to dock in Subic since Washington announced plans to increase its presence in the Asia Pacific last January.

USS North Carolina, a ship designed to operate in deep oceans, docked in Subic Bay last May.

This was followed by USS Louisville, a nuclear-powered vessel that made a port call in Subic last June 25.

Eight days later, hospital ship USNS Mercy docked in the area to replenish its supplies.

Officials claimed that the port visits were not related to the dispute in the West Philippine Sea, which is being claimed in whole by China, a country perceived to be a rival of the US.

The DND is also considering holding multilateral military exercises with Australia and the US.

“It (multilateral exercises) is being explored at the moment,” DND spokesman Peter Galvez said.

Galvez said such exercise would promote interoperability and coordination between the Philippines, the US and Australia.

He said the trainings would also enhance the ties of the three countries in combating threats like piracy and terrorism and in responding to disasters.

The Philippine holds bilateral exercises with the US yearly in line with the Mutual Defense Treaty signed between the two countries in 1951.

The Philippines is also expected to conduct military trainings with Australia soon after the Senate concurred with the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement last July. – Alexis Romero, AP