US push on South China Sea falls short at ASEAN summit

[sicsheep]

President Barack Obama concluded the first-ever summit with Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders to be held in the United States with a press conference yesterday that elaborated no major initiatives. While the two-day gathering at Sunnylands, California took place against mounting US tensions with China over the South China Sea, the final declaration made no specific reference to the maritime disputes, despite Washington’s wishes.

Over the past year, the Obama administration has ramped up pressure on Beijing, demanding a halt to land reclamation activities and alleged militarisation in the South China Sea. The US Navy has twice mounted so-called freedom of navigation operations, deliberately intruding within the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit around Chinese-administered islets, most recently at Triton Island on January 30.

The meeting also came in the wake of last November’s ASEAN summit in Malaysia, at which Obama reached a strategic partnership with ASEAN members. During the trip, he announced in Manila that the US would provide $250 million in military aid to ASEAN members to boost “maritime security.”

The US was clearly pushing for a tough joint statement from this week’s summit, aimed against China over the South China Sea. However, the final declaration of “Sunnylands principles” made only general references to a “shared commitment to peaceful resolution of disputes, including full respect for legal and diplomatic processes” and to “ensuring maritime security and safety, including the rights of freedom of navigation and overflight” in the region.

Unnamed American officials complained to the media that China put pressure on countries such as Cambodia and Laos not to sign up to a stronger statement. Cambodia, which has strong economic ties to Beijing, has previously blocked US efforts to align ASEAN against China in the territorial disputes. In 2012, the ASEAN summit for the first time in its history broke up without issuing a final communiqué, amid bitter arguments between Cambodia and the Philippines over the South China Sea.

US accusations of Chinese pressure and “bullying” are utterly hypocritical, however. The Obama administration has deliberately exploited the maritime disputes to drive a wedge between China and its ASEAN neighbours, encouraging the Philippines and Vietnam in particular to take a more confrontational approach. The US has backed and assisted the Philippines in mounting a legal challenge to Chinese claims at the arbitral tribunal in The Hague under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The Obama administration is preparing to exploit the tribunal ruling, due next month, to step up the pressure on China. A comment in the latest edition ofForeign Affairs, entitled “Confronting China in the South China Sea,” advised the White House to use “the unprecedented opportunity for a US public diplomacy campaign to rally regional support for the rule of law. The State Department should start preparing for such a campaign in advance. The Department of Defense, meanwhile, should conduct FONOPS [freedom of navigation operations] that reinforce the decision once it occurs.”

The author was Mira Rapp-Hooper, an analyst with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which last month published a report commissioned by the US Defense Department setting out an accelerated military build-up throughout the Asia Pacific against China.

In reality, the US has nothing but contempt for the rule of law. While demanding that China accepts the ruling in The Hague, the US itself has not ratified UNCLOS. Moreover, the provocative US military intrusions into Chinese-claimed territory are taking place before the arbitral tribunal has even handed down a decision on the Philippines case.

The Obama administration’s interventions in the South China Sea are part of its broader “pivot” or “rebalance” to Asia, which is aimed against China and at ensuring American dominance within the region. Obama also used this week’s summit to press ahead with the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) sealed last October. The TPP is the economic arm of the “pivot.” It seeks to ensure, as Obama has declared, that the US, not China, sets the economic rules of the 21st century.

At the talks, Obama urged those already involved in the TPP—Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia—to implement its agenda, and pushed for other ASEAN members to sign up. The US is currently ASEAN’s fourth largest trading partner—behind China, the European Union and Japan.

As well as boosting trade, the TPP aims to increase US investment in South East Asia, where it is currently leading China. Between 2012 and 2014, American corporations invested $32.3 billion in ASEAN countries, as compared to $21.3 billion from China. The CEOs of American corporate giants, including IBM, Cisco and Microsoft, were in attendance at Sunnylands.

The “Sunnylands principles” included a commitment to “strengthening democracy” and “promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms.” The US, however, is notorious for exploiting “human rights” selectively to justify diplomatic provocations, interventions and war.

At the summit, “human rights” received short shrift as Washington sought to ensure close ties with the Stalinist police-state regimes in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, the Thai military junta, the autocratic governments of Malaysia and Singapore, the so-called “developing democracies” of Indonesia, the Philippines and Burma, and the absolute monarchy in Brunei.

Only Cambodia was singled out for special mention. US Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes last week expressed concern over the intimidation of opposition lawmakers in Cambodia in recent weeks. The Obama administration has no interest in democratic rights in Cambodia, other than as a means for pressuring the regime to distance itself from China. While his official chided Cambodia over human rights, Obama announced on Monday that he will visit Vietnam in May to strengthen economic and strategic ties.

The lack of any joint declaration on the South China Sea from the Sunnylands summit will not halt Washington’s determination to confront Beijing. Obama is under pressure within US military and foreign policy circles to escalate the “freedom of navigation operations” to challenge Chinese claims and will undoubtedly do so, heightening the danger of a conflict between two nuclear-armed powers.

US push on South China Sea falls short at ASEAN summit - World Socialist Web Site

 

[dichoi]

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US-ASEAN summit seeks to counter China's growth

Analysts say meeting in Southern California comes as US steps up efforts to counter China's influence in Southeast Asia.
Burhan Wazir | 15 Feb 2016 05:50 GMT |

US President Barack Obama will meet leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Southern California on Monday.

The two-day summit will be held at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, the same place where Obama held his famous "shirt-sleeves summit" with Chinese President Xi Jinping three years ago.

The agenda for the ASEAN meeting, the first to be held on U.S. soil, covers a broad spectrum of issues, including security, trade and climate change.

Analysts said the meeting comes as the U.S. steps up its efforts to support its Southeast Asian allies in order to counter China's growing influence in the region.

South China Sea tensions
Some ASEAN leaders are concerned about China’s growing boldness in the South China Sea.

The Philippines and Vietnam are two of the countries involved in territorial disputes with China - and leaders from both countries want guarantees from the US over security.

Other ASEAN member countries, however, do not want to anger Chinese leaders with bold US action.

This lack of consensus over Chinese policy currently divides ASEAN's member nations and could prove to be a stumbling block for any major developments in the summit.

One popular idea suggested by analysts is that the U.S. could do more to support ASEAN efforts by negotiating a Code of Conduct with China in order to help ease regional tensions.

Economic powerhouse
The U.S.-ASEAN axis, a key part of Obama's much-heralded "pivot to Asia" strategy, is also seen as one of the most important economic milestones for the White House.

The 10-nation axis is crucial for the growth of many American companies - US firms are the largest foreign direct investors with a total investment currently totalling $226bn.

The ASEAN region is already America's fourth largest export market and contributes over half a million jobs in the U.S..

The 10-nation bloc also represents the world's seventh largest economy, with a population of around 625 million people.

Human rights concerns
Yet, some critics have said that as the U.S. bids to counter China's influences in South Asia, it is also ignoring a worsening situation for human rights, transparency and democracy in parts of the region.

Among the attendees at the summit will be Najib Razak, the Malaysian prime minister, whose presence is expected to be dominated by questions over the almost $700m in his bank account.

Concerns have also been raised over the future of his political rival, Anwar Ibrahim, who has been imprisoned for more than a year on a widely questioned sodomy conviction.

Razak will be joined by Hun Sen, the Cambodian prime minister, who has ruled the country since the 1980s - but has long faced accusations of authoritarianism.

In Vietnam, the press is under state control and critical bloggers have been jailed for "abusing democratic freedoms".

Concerns also remain over the legitimacy of Thailand’s military ruler Prayuth Chan-ocha, who has been quick to silence internal criticism and has failed to hold elections since his junta replaced an elected government in May 2014.

"The risk is that the Sunnylands summit will empower and embolden ASEAN leaders who have been responsible for jailing journalists, cracking down on peaceful protesters, and dismantling democratic institutions after coups," said John Sifton, Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch.

More than 100 Southeast Asian politicians have also urged Obama to address human rights issues during his meetings with Asian leaders, according to an open letter posted online on Thursday.

The letter was signed predominantly by politicians from Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia, urging Obama to "press [leaders] on unfulfilled human rights commitments and to directly raise specific concerns with them".

The politicians said that many of the participating countries have taken "dramatic steps backward" in democratic principles in recent years.

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[initial_d]

Perhaps U.S need to give millitary aid like the one they gave to egypt and israel to U.S friendly SEA countries such as the phillipine, singapore, indonesia, malaysia to ballance the situation in south china sea

 

[Kiss_of_the_Dragon]

Unnamed American officials complained to the media that China put pressure on countries such as Cambodia and Laos not to sign up to a stronger statement. Cambodia, which has strong economic ties to Beijing, has previously blocked US efforts to align ASEAN against China in the territorial disputes. In 2012, the ASEAN summit for the first time in its history broke up without issuing a final communiqué, amid bitter arguments between Cambodia and the Philippines over the South China Sea.

Just too funny, this summit only shown how irrelevant of US on Asia affaire: One belt one road will bring bread and butter for some relevant ASEAN countries, of course they care their economic future and want a better tie with China.

 

[ahojunk]

the final declaration made no specific reference to the maritime disputes, despite Washington’s wishes.

Barrack Obama can talk till the cows come home. By the way, as Asian are generally polite the ASEAN leaders will politely thank Obama for being invited to this useless talk-fest.

In the final analysis if US don't have money to offer, but China dangles a big economic carrot, then we know which way ASEAN is going to lean towards.

Money talks, bullsh*t walks! once again.

that China put pressure on countries such as Cambodia and Laos not to sign up to a stronger statement.

No need, China just dangles the economic and trade carrot. That's more than enough.

US accusations of Chinese pressure and “bullying” are utterly hypocritical

I am amazed that the Americans can say this with a straight face. When I heard this statement, I feel tremendous sympathies for Oriega, Saddam, Muammar, Assad, even though these are all scoundrels.

In reality, the US has nothing but contempt for the rule of law. While demanding that China accepts the ruling in The Hague, the US itself has not ratified UNCLOS.

Every country knows that the US will choose which law they will abide by and which law to ignore. Why? because they can.

The TPP is the economic arm of the “pivot.” It seeks to ensure, as Obama has declared, that the US, not China, sets the economic rules of the 21st century.

Looks to me that this ability by the US will gradually diminish over the next few decades, and this is really good for the rest of the world. Every country the US has got into, ended up in total chaos and destruction.

The US is currently ASEAN’s fourth largest trading partner—behind China, the European Union and Japan.

Aha, the US is number four, but they are still talking to ASEAN as though they are number one. That's why the ASEAN leaders will nod in polite agreement in their presence but will do the complete opposite behind their back.

Anyway, thank you Barrack Obama for the couple of days of entertainment.

 

[Zero_wing]

Man why is it the chinese member keep up with this notion that the meeting is to isolate them or to contain them man someone is insecure. Typical chinese propaganda demonizing totally barbaric