Laying Tracks for Peace

By+Bai+Shi

on August 8-10， the 47th ASEAN（Association of Southeast Asian Nations） Foreign Ministers Meeting（AMM） and its related gatherings brought together top diplomats from 27 nations， including 10 ASEAN member states and their Dialogue Partner countries， in Nay Pyi Taw， capital of Myanmar， to discuss political， security and development issues that have significant relevance in the region.

However， U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stole the spotlight with a premeditated collision with China over the South China Sea issue.

Kerry， who was in Nay Pyi Taw to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum， suggested on August 9 that all claimants “freeze” provocative actions in the South China Sea. Meanwhile， a delegation of the Philippines also proposed a three-phase plan during the forum. Both of their suggestions have identified China as the specific objective， aiming to apply diplomatic pressure in the multilateral meeting.

In response， Chinese Foreign Minister Wang yi， who was also in Nay Pyi Taw， said at a press conference after the China-ASEAN （10+1） Foreign Ministers Meeting on August 9 that China supports and advocates a “dual-track” approach to resolving the South China Sea issue， marking the first clear statement regarding the issue by the Chinese Government.

Chinas dual-track approach is an apparent setback to the United States and the Philippines. The final joint statement of the AMM did not include the U.S. and Philippine call for a freeze.

Dual-track details

Wang expounded on the rationale behind Chinas initiative of the dual-track approach. Firstly， relevant disputes should be addressed by countries directly concerned through friendly consultations and negotiations in a peaceful way. Secondly， peace and stability in the South China Sea concerns the real interests of all littoral countries in the region， including China and ASEAN members， which should be jointly maintained by both China and ASEAN countries.

Wang said that China and ASEAN have identified a solution to the South China Sea issue. According to him， China advocates the dual-track approach because holding talks between countries directly concerned is the most effective and feasible way to settle the issue， in addition to being in line with international law and international conventions. Moreover， the approach is also one of the most important provisions of the Declaration on the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea （DOC）， which was reached by China and all ASEAN member states on November 4， 2002 in Phnom Penh， Cambodia.endprint

Jiang Zhida， an associate research fellow of the Beijing-based China Institute of International Studies， told Beijing Review that the dualtrack approach aligns with Chinas previous policy stance on the issue.

Foreign Minister Wangs speech shows Chinas strong determination to safeguard the national sovereignty and territory in the South China Sea as well as its positive approach to solving the issue through negotiations， Jiang said. He pointed out that the approach stresses the responsibility and obligation of both China and relevant countries to maintain regional peace and stability.

In view of the fact that the U.S. “freeze” proposal was rejected by most nations dur-ing the meeting， “the dual-track approach is a successful implementation of the new Asian security concept that China has always advocated， according to Jiang. “The dual-track approach conforms to common interests of both China and all other riparian states in the South China Sea， including ASEAN countries. Any outsider country should not complicate the issue by intervening，” Jiang said.

Le Luong Minh， ASEAN Secretary General， said on August 9 that ASEAN foreign ministers did not discuss the U.S. suggestion because there is already an established mechanism for resolving the South China Sea issue—the DOC— in which the parties agree to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability.

Wang also stressed that past experience over the years has proved that as long as parties concerned remain committed to the dual-track approach and encourage positive interactions between efforts along the two tracks， China and ASEAN countries are capable of effectively managing and properly handling specific disputes and maintaining overall peace， stability and cooperation in the region.

hidden U.S. motives

Kerry was not the first senior U.S. official to suggest a freeze of actions in the South China Sea. Daniel R. Russel， U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs， put forward such a proposal publicly earlier in July.

“The U.S. proposal sounds fair but it cannot cover its deceptive and hypocritical purposes，”Jia Xiudong， a senior researcher with the China Institute of International Studies， said to Peoples Daily.

At its core， the U.S. proposal aims to help some Southeast Asian countries legitimize the occupation of Chinas territories in the South China Sea and give the United States an opportunity to play an arbitrator role in resolving the issue， Jia said.endprint

The presence of a double standard might be the most conspicuous feature of the U.S. proposal. Some Southeast Asian countries have invaded and occupied Chinese territories in the South China Sea since the 1970s. In particular， viet Nam and the Philippines are the two most rampant invaders. They continuously take actions to consolidate their occupation over these islands and shoals of Chinese territories， yet the United States has never expressed its concern or demanded them to freeze their provocative actions.

The United States and the Philippines have worked together to pressure China on the South China Sea issue. The Philippines also tried to get other ASEAN states on its side on the issue during this years AMM. Its so-called threephase proposal suggests first suspending all actions， second establishing a code of conduct on South China Sea and third resolving disputes through international arbitration. An outrageous detail is that the Philippines did not follow its own proposal—the country has been trying to fulfill the third step of occupying eight islands of Chinese territory in the South China Sea via international arbitration.

Jia said the United States involves itself actively in the South China Sea issue to make trouble for China via its formidable power in the international community. “Setting a trap for China in the South China Sea is meant to serve the U.S. strategy of rebalancing toward Asia-Pacific. The United States wants to instigate conflict between China and ASEAN states，” he claimed.

For this reason， “the U.S. proposal is centered around China. Its ulterior motive of criticizing China jeopardizes peace and stability in the South China Sea，” Jia said.

To recover U.S. influence in Southeast Asia， the Obama administration has taken a combination of measures in recent years. Politically， the United States has joined all important regional multilateral mechanisms led by ASEAN. Economically， it has enhanced trade relations with ASEAN countries. Russel pointed out last month that ASEAN has become the fourth largest trading partner of the United States. Last year， the U.S.-ASEAN trade volume reached$206 billion.

On defense affairs， U.S. armed forces have organized a series of joint military exercises with ASEAN countries， while U.S. military deployment also returned to the region. For example， the United States and the Philippines signed a 10-year defense treaty in April， by which U.S. troops will return to the Philippines.endprint

China-ASEAN cooperation

Despite U.S. intervention in the South China Sea， China has laid a solid foundation for cooperation with ASEAN countries in past decades.

Ruan Zongze， vice President of the China Institute of International Studies， said that all parties are struggling with the South China Sea issue， increasing tensions during the AMM and its related meetings in recent years. But these pressures cannot change geopolitical relations between China and ASEAN， according to Ruan.

He added that most ASEAN countries are willing to promote their domestic economic development through partnerships with China. China will also unswervingly support practical cooperation with neighboring countries and develop good-neighborly relations and friendship.

China has made a number of remarkable achievements in terms of economic cooperation with ASEAN countries. However， the huge potential that lays in future cooperation between the worlds second largest economy and ASEAN must be backed up by a guarantee.

Riots against China that broke out in May in viet Nam over Chinas deployment of an oil rig in its own waters have led to serious casualties of Chinese people and a serious loss of Chinese investment in the country. The incident illustrates that Chinas investment in ASEAN countries is under threat of extreme nationalism if a conflict erupts between China and socalled claimants on the South China Sea issue.

Wang yuzhu， a researcher on AsiaPacific regional cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences （CASS）， said that China and ASEAN need to enhance both political mutual trust and economic cooperation. The two sides could build mutual trust and defuse hostility by reaching the good-neighborly and friendly cooperation treaty， he suggested.

Zhang Jie， a regional security expert with the National Institute of International Strategy under the CASS， indicated that cooperation between China and ASEAN still falls short of political mutual trust. “If territorial disputes cannot be resolved， it will hinder regional economic cooperation in the future，” he said.

China and ASEAN countries could adopt a step-by-step approach to enhancing political mutual trust—a process that could be set in motion by pursuing relatively attainable objectives in low-sensitivity areas， Zhang said. nendprint