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Kerry: US avoiding 'confrontation' in sea row
by Staff Writers
Manila (AFP) July 27, 2016


China-Philippines should 'turn page' on sea row: Kerry
Vientiane (AFP) July 26, 2016 - The Philippines and China should "turn the page" and hold talks over contested areas of the South China Sea after a tribunal shot down Beijing's claims to the strategic waterway, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday.

Relations between China and the Philippines hit a nadir earlier this month after Beijing refused to recognise a UN-backed ruling invalidating its claims to much of the sea.

The Philippines, which says it owns areas claimed by China, took the case to a Hague-based tribunal for arbitration.

Kerry reiterated Washington's stance that the tribunal's decision to favour the Philippines was binding, but added that it was time to seek new ground.

"I would encourage President Duterte to engage in dialogue, in negotiations," Kerry told reporters in Laos, referring to the tough-talking new Philippines leader.

Kerry is due to fly to Manila for talks with Duterte later Tuesday.

Kerry's call for fresh talks between Manila and Beijing comes at the request of his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

"The foreign minister said very clearly the time has come to move away from public tensions and turn the page," Kerry told reporters.

"And we agree with that... no claimant should be acting in a way that is provocative, no claimant should take steps that wind up raising tensions."

The two envoys met on the sidelines of a regional security forum of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that has been dogged by the issue of the South China Sea.

The Philippines had been expected to push for the bloc to support the tribunal ruling in a punchy joint-statement.

But the bloc shied away from a diplomatic confrontation with China.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay told reporters that he supported that approach, describing the tribunal case as a dispute just between Beijing and Manila.

"The other countries are not part of our filing of the case before the arbitral tribunal so why would we insist that it be put in the ASEAN statement," Yasay said.

ASEAN member states span communist autocracies such as Laos and Vietnam, the tiny Islamic sultanate of Brunei and populous democracies like Indonesia and the Philippines.

It works on the basis of consensus diplomacy.

But critics have slammed the grouping for failing to present a strong front against China's aggressive divide and rule policy among its neighbours.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday said Washington wanted to avoid "confrontation" in the South China Sea, after an international tribunal rejected Beijing's claims to most of the waters.

Kerry made the remarks after meeting with Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay in Manila where they discussed the Southeast Asian nation's sweeping victory in the arbitration case against China.

America's top diplomat said the United States wanted China and the Philippines to engage in talks and "confidence-building measures".

"The decision itself is a binding decision but we're not trying to create a confrontation. We are trying to create a solution mindful of the rights of people established under the law," Kerry said.

A tribunal based in The Hague this month ruled that China's claim to most of the strategic waterway was inconsistent with international law. The decision angered Beijing, which vowed to ignore the ruling.

But Kerry said the United States saw an "opportunity" for claimants to peacefully resolve the row.

"We hope to see a process that will narrow the geographic scope of the maritime disputes, set standards for behaviour in contested areas, lead to mutually acceptable solutions, perhaps even a series of confidence-building steps," he said.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims to the South China Sea, a vital waterway through which $5 trillion in annual trade passes. It is also believed to sit atop vast reserves of oil and gas.

Kerry, who arrived in Manila on Tuesday after attending a regional summit in Laos, met with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte after Yasay.

On Tuesday, Kerry said he would encourage Duterte, who assumed office on June 30, to engage in dialogue and "turn the page" with China.

Kerry was also expected to raise with Duterte US concerns about human rights and the rule of law.

"The Philippines has an unhappy history of extrajudicial killings and violence (against) journalists and others," a US official told reporters travelling with the secretary.

"We hope to hear more from President Duterte about ... protecting human rights (and) maintaining the rule of law."

Duterte has launched a bloody war on crime, urging law enforcers, communist rebels and even the public to kill criminals.

Since he took office, police reported over 200 deaths while media tallies have said more than 300 have died, including suspected extrajudicial killings.

Even before he assumed the presidency, Duterte drew criticism from United Nations chief Ban Ki-Moon and human rights advocates for his calls to kill criminals, as well as comments stating that corrupt journalists deserved to die.


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China victory as SE Asian nations go easy on sea row
Vientiane (AFP) July 25, 2016
Southeast Asian nations Monday ducked direct criticism of Beijing over its claims to the South China Sea, in a diluted statement produced after days of disagreement that gives the superpower a diplomatic victory. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) avoided mention of a ruling by a UN-backed tribunal in early July that rejected China's territorial claims and infuriate ... read more


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