By Shannon Tiezzi
A Chinese official dismissed the U.S. and Philippines’ call for a freeze on provocative moves in disputed maritime areas.
A Chinese official rejected a U.S. and Philippine-backed plan for a “freeze” on provocative actions in the South China Sea, Reuters reports. Yi Xianliang, the deputy director of the Boundary and Ocean Affairs Department in China’s Foreign Ministry, called the proposal unhelpful in comments to reporters on Monday. Yi further argued that the proposed freeze would undermine negotiations on a China-ASEAN code of conduct in the South China Sea.
The U.S. made it clear back in mid-July that it believes a freeze on provocative actions would be helpful in the South China Sea. Michael Fuchs, a deputy assistant secretary of state in the East Asian and Pacific Affairs bureau, said as much to an audience at CSIS in Washington, DC. Fuchs, speaking at an annual conference on South China Sea issues, said that the U.S. had called for all claimant states “to clarify and agree to voluntarily freeze certain actions and activities that escalate the disputes and cause instability.” He explained that deciding what particular actions would be included in the freeze “would ultimately be up to the claimants,” but mentioned several possibilities: no new outposts, no new seizure of territories, and no construction or land reclamation (minus an exception for “routine maintenance operations”). Fuchs argued that “exercising self-restraint via this type of voluntary freeze would create a conducive and positive environment for negotiations on a China-ASEAN Code of Conduct and dramatically lower the risk of a dangerous incident.”
The Philippines has since taken up the call for a voluntary freeze, with officials saying they plan to present such a proposal at the September ASEAN Summit to be held in Myanmar (they are also supposed to raise the issue at the ASEAN Regional Forum this weekend). According to the Philippine Star, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario called the proposed freeze “constructive” and “positive.” He also said that other countries welcomed the initiative.
Read the full story at The Diplomat