23/03/2018
Despite the lack of an explicit reference to China's militarization of the West Philippine Sea, the ASEAN and Australia's joint statement brought out the strongest position on the contested waters, an analyst said.
The 10-member regional bloc and Australia released the "Sydney Declaration" at the end of the two-day ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.
In the joint declaration, the leaders reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, maritime safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the region.
"We emphasise the importance of non-militarisation and the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities and avoid actions that may complicate the situation," the joint statement read.
The ASEAN and Australian leaders also called for an early conclusion of an effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.
Dindo Manhit, president of independent think tank Stratbase ADR Institute, said that the Sydney Declaration "raised the level of regional cooperation amidst a changing geopolitical environment where the Philippines is a major stakeholder."
"ASEAN’s unequivocal support for the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and non-militarization springs a new momentum for the government and a strong message against actions that run counter to building regional trust and confidence," Manhit said
Read more at PhilStar
Click here for updated South China Sea news
In the past few years, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) has been expanding its activities in the South China Sea in particular and the Indo-Pacific in general.
On July 5, a week before hosting the 2023 NATO Summit, Lithuania released its own Indo-Pacific Strategy, becoming the 6th European country to devise such document (after France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the Czech Republic, if not including the EU). A few observations could be made from a...
On the 7th anniversary of the final ruling rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal in the arbitration between the Philippines and China concerning the South China Sea (July 12, 2016 - July 12, 2023), some countries, including claimants and non-claimants, issued statements expressing their positions regarding...
On 28 April, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) issued its final Judgment on the dispute concerning the delimitation of the maritime boundary between Mauritius and the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, finally ending the dispute that had lasted for over three years. Both Mauritius...
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu officially visited Russia from April 15th to April 17th, 2023. The visit was closely monitored by the West due to their belief that the increasingly closer relationship between China and Russia, both politically and militarily, may result in China’s decision to provide...
---Copy.png&w=200)
