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THE PHILIPPINES and Vietnam assured each other of continued cooperation in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) as each country’s territorial disputes with China continues to escalate, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced.
Secretary Albert F. del Rosario met on Thursday with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Pham Binh Minh at the sidelines of the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) 10th Summit in Milan, Italy.
The two have committed to urge other ASEM partners to support the implementation of the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, the DFA said.
The agreement, signed by members of the Association of Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN) and China in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2002, states that parties should resolve the dispute by peaceful means and exercise self-restraint on activities seen to escalate tensions.
Mr. del Rosario reiterated that China’s maintenance of naval forces and construction of facilities in the disputed areas “are in contravention of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and are contrary to the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.”
The issue would have been brought up by both ministers to the leaders of 51 Asian and European member-states in a retreat session on Friday, the DFA added.
The statement added that Mr. del Rosario pointed to China’s “nine-dash line” -- in which it claims every disputed island in the South China Sea -- as a core issue. The secretary also noted the country has the encouragement of European Council President Herman Van Rompuy in pursuing its maritime dispute with China.
The Philippines does not claim all the islands Vietnam currently occupies. A few of them -- including the largest occupied island of Spratly (called Trung Sa by Vietnam and Lagos by the Philippines) -- lie outside the territory marked by Presidential Decree No. 1596 in 1978.
All six claimant countries except Taiwan are members of ASEM.
Meanwhile, the DFA announced in a separate statement that Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Libran N. Cabactulan had written the U.N. Secretary-General and its 193 member-states to solicit support for the country’s Triple Action Plan.
TAP is “a positive, comprehensive and constructive framework, which brings together various initiatives that the Philippines and other countries have been advocating for the peaceful resolution of the disputes,” Mr. Cabactulan said in a statement delivered before the Sixth Committee onThe Rule of Law at the National and International Levels.
TAP was proposed by Mr. del Rosario during the 47th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar in August. He also brought the framework to the 69th Session of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) in September.
TAP calls for the cessation of activities in the contested area as an immediate response, the implementation of the aforementioned Code of Conduct as an intermediate approach, and the settlement of disputes in accordance to international law as a final action.
“The Rule of Law anchors the predictability and stability of national and international development and progress. It allows for an environment of peace and security to flourish. Let it not be said that some States, by reason of their size, power and might, are exempt from the rule of law,” Mr. Cabactulan added.
The two have committed to urge other ASEM partners to support the implementation of the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, the DFA said.
The agreement, signed by members of the Association of Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN) and China in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2002, states that parties should resolve the dispute by peaceful means and exercise self-restraint on activities seen to escalate tensions.
Mr. del Rosario reiterated that China’s maintenance of naval forces and construction of facilities in the disputed areas “are in contravention of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and are contrary to the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.”
The issue would have been brought up by both ministers to the leaders of 51 Asian and European member-states in a retreat session on Friday, the DFA added.
The statement added that Mr. del Rosario pointed to China’s “nine-dash line” -- in which it claims every disputed island in the South China Sea -- as a core issue. The secretary also noted the country has the encouragement of European Council President Herman Van Rompuy in pursuing its maritime dispute with China.
The Philippines does not claim all the islands Vietnam currently occupies. A few of them -- including the largest occupied island of Spratly (called Trung Sa by Vietnam and Lagos by the Philippines) -- lie outside the territory marked by Presidential Decree No. 1596 in 1978.
All six claimant countries except Taiwan are members of ASEM.
Meanwhile, the DFA announced in a separate statement that Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Libran N. Cabactulan had written the U.N. Secretary-General and its 193 member-states to solicit support for the country’s Triple Action Plan.
TAP is “a positive, comprehensive and constructive framework, which brings together various initiatives that the Philippines and other countries have been advocating for the peaceful resolution of the disputes,” Mr. Cabactulan said in a statement delivered before the Sixth Committee onThe Rule of Law at the National and International Levels.
TAP was proposed by Mr. del Rosario during the 47th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar in August. He also brought the framework to the 69th Session of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) in September.
TAP calls for the cessation of activities in the contested area as an immediate response, the implementation of the aforementioned Code of Conduct as an intermediate approach, and the settlement of disputes in accordance to international law as a final action.
“The Rule of Law anchors the predictability and stability of national and international development and progress. It allows for an environment of peace and security to flourish. Let it not be said that some States, by reason of their size, power and might, are exempt from the rule of law,” Mr. Cabactulan added.
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