Escalating South China Sea Tensions Cast Shadow Over ASEAN Summit

MANILA – A recent clash in the South China Sea risks eclipsing the upcoming Southeast Asian leaders’ summit, as the United States denounced what it called “dangerous” Chinese conduct in the disputed waters.
The statement was issued shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached the Philippines, where the 11‑nation ASEAN bloc is slated to discuss a range of agenda items, including the political and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.
Having departed Washington on Monday, Rubio indicated his willingness to hold a sideline discussion with China’s senior diplomat Wang Yi, who is also scheduled to be in Manila.
In a Tuesday‑morning opinion piece published in the Philippines, Rubio emphasized Washington’s dedication to “freedom of navigation in Southeast Asia” and the security umbrella it extends to the region.
“Such freedom is far from assured. Should these waters fall under the domination of a power that seeks to wield trade as a geopolitical instrument, both the United States and ASEAN members would confront heightened threats to their sovereignty, security, and economic prospects,” he warned, in an unmistakable reference to Beijing.
China asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, a critical global trade corridor, despite an international tribunal having ruled that claim lacks legal foundation.
On Monday, Filipino and Chinese sailors engaged in a confrontation at the Second Thomas Shoal, marking the first serious maritime clash in months.
Manila reported that Chinese Coast Guard forces assaulted Filipino personnel near a grounded vessel that functions as a forward base on the contested shoal.
Beijing countered that the Philippines escalated the situation by dispatching small rubber‑craft toward its ship.
The incident deepens skepticism regarding the prospects for a substantive Code of Conduct between ASEAN and China, a goal analysts have warned is unlikely to yield a binding agreement.‘Back into the fold’
Reintegrating Myanmar, a member state expelled from regional forums after its 2021 military coup, has become one of the most contentious topics for Southeast Asian foreign ministers.
In May, ASEAN leaders convened in Cebu, where Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos urged a “fine‑tuning” of the bloc’s stalled five‑point initiative aimed at ending Myanmar’s civil war.
Thailand, sharing a lengthy border with Myanmar and sheltering millions of refugees, has championed the full restoration of the country to the bloc.
Following a meeting in Bangkok where Myanmar’s foreign minister engaged with several ASEAN counterparts, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow announced that Min Aung Hlaing is slated to visit in August.
“It is best to bring Myanmar back into the fold,” Sihasak remarked.
“We believe that after five years we must talk, we need to listen, and they must explain,” he added.
Nevertheless, some members have criticized the slow progress on the long‑awaited five‑point peace framework that underpins the engagement effort.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan noted in May that his nation would not pursue high‑level dialogues while “oppression continues.”

Source link