In a meeting with Southeast Asian leaders held in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, on Wednesday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang emphasized China’s position as the world’s second-largest economy and its status as the region’s top trading partner. Amid concerns about Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China Sea Tensions, Li highlighted China’s long-standing friendship with Southeast Asia, including joint efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of dialogue to resolve differences.
Li stated, “As long as we keep to the right path, no matter what storm may come, China-ASEAN cooperation will be as firm as ever and press ahead against all odds.” He also mentioned that peace and stability in East Asia had been maintained despite global turbulence and change.
However, several Southeast Asian nations involved in territorial disputes in the South China Sea have raised objections to China’s actions, which they view as attempts to reinforce its extensive territorial claims in the strategically important maritime region. A new Chinese map depicting these claims has led to protests from leaders of other countries, who argue that Beijing’s assertions encroach into their coastal waters.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed concern about the recent assertiveness in the disputed waters, referring to an incident in early August when a Chinese Coast Guard ship attempted to block a Philippine navy vessel delivering supplies to Filipino forces in the contested Second Thomas Shoal.
The 2016 Hague Tribunal Ruling and China’s Response
While addressing fellow ASEAN leaders in a meeting with Li, Marcos underlined his country’s commitment to the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, emphasizing the importance of adhering to its principles for all activities in the seas and oceans. He stated, “We once again reaffirm our commitment to the rule of law and peaceful settlement of disputes.”
In 2016, an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, established under the U.N. convention, ruled that China’s vast territorial claims in the South China Sea, based on historical grounds, lacked a legal basis. China, a full dialogue partner of ASEAN, did not participate in the arbitration process initiated by the Philippines in 2013, rejected the 2016 ruling, and continues to challenge it.
The South China Sea Tensions have involved China, Taiwan, and several ASEAN member states (Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam) for decades, resulting in an increasingly tense standoff in a region crucial for global trade. It has also become a focal point in the broader U.S.-China rivalry.