Manila avoids tough China talk at Asean

Duterte said in a news conference after hosting an annual summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Manila that he would ask President Donald Trump, who he said he was expecting to call him later Saturday “to see to it that there is no war because my region will suffer immensely”.

China had wanted Asean to remove a reference to “respect for legal and diplomatic processes”, and it was taken out of the South China Sea section of the latest draft of the chairman’s statement.

Aquino also filed the case at the worldwide tribunal.

In his address to open the leaders’ summit, Duterte made no mention of the South China Sea, but touched on many issues central to his 10-month administration.

Duterte’s message before Asean member-states also included the supposed “improvement of bilateral relations” between Asean and China.

Across Asia, more and more countries are being pulled into Beijing’s orbit, with the timid stance adopted by Southeast Asian nations on the South China Sea at a weekend summit a clear sign this fundamental geostrategic shift is gathering momentum.

The Hague ruling, in a case brought by the Philippines in 2013, angered China because it invalidated China’s claim of sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea.

On Thursday, Duterte had indicated he would not raise the arbitration ruling during the summit, saying the issue was between the Philippines and China.

China’s sovereignty claims in the South China Sea have angered competing claimants, including four Asean members-Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines.

Ramon Casiple, said the non-inclusion of the arbitral court’s ruling on the case filed by the Philippines against China does not mean that Manila and other countries claiming parts of the South China Sea are giving up their claim.

As the leader of the more responsible country, Duterte said he was sure Trump was cautioning his military to “hang on there and not to start something which they can’t control”.

“They expressed satisfaction that ministers from both sides are already working with each other and looked forward to meeting each other soon”, said Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement last night.

One diplomat indicated that ongoing moves between China and ASEAN to draft a framework for negotiating a maritime code of conduct may have been a factor in agreeing the softened statement.

“Prudence dictates that the ruling need not be raised”.

Asean proposed the trade agreement in 2011 as it sought to deepen economic integration with six of its key partners: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

“We acknowledged the importance of ASEAN cooperation in addressing issues that affect peace, security and prosperity of the region including terrorism, violent extremism, piracy, human trafficking and illegal drugs”, he added.

Any code of conduct in Southeast Asian waters must abide by worldwide rules if the 10-member bloc wants to become a “global ASEAN” as envisioned in its move toward regional economic integration.

Southeast Asian leaders pose for a family photo following their retreat in the 30th ASEAN Leaders’ Summit Saturday, April 29, 2017 in Manila, Philippines.

While not once travelling overseas since his inauguration, Mr Trump has had 16 bilateral meetings with world leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On the other hand, President Donald Trump recently talked about the conflict between the United States and North Korea.