[Epoch Times, July 14, 2021](Epoch Times reporter Xia Yu’s comprehensive report) On Wednesday (July 14) local time, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ video conference , The United States rejected the CCP’s “illegal” maritime claims in the South China Sea and promised to forge strategic partnerships with ASEAN countries.
On the evening of July 13, U.S. Eastern time, the U.S. State Department stated in a statement that the Secretary of State reiterated the United States’ commitment to the centrality of ASEAN and emphasized the important role of ASEAN in the Indo-Pacific regional structure. The Secretary of State and ASEAN Foreign Ministers pledged to continue building an ASEAN-U.S. strategic partnership based on human rights and fundamental freedoms, economic prosperity, and strong civil ties.
The statement said that the Secretary of State emphasized that the United States rejects China’s (CCP) illegal maritime claims in the South China Sea and reiterated that the United States and Southeast Asian countries stand together and face the CCP’s coercion.
The CCP refused to accept criticism from the United States. At a briefing held in Beijing, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China Zhao Lijian said that the United States deliberately provoked territorial sovereignty and maritime rights disputes in the South China Sea, and it was an extremely irresponsible act to sow discord between China (the CCP) and ASEAN countries.
The Biden administration reaffirms the Trump administration’s position on the South China Sea
Trillions of dollars of trade flows through the South China Sea every year, which also contains abundant fishing grounds and gas fields. The CCP unilaterally declared a U-shaped “nine-dash line”, which overlaps the exclusive economic zones of all ASEAN member states including Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and claims sovereignty over large areas of the South China Sea.
On July 12, 2016, the International Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague, the Netherlands, made a ruling on the “South China Sea Arbitration” filed by the Philippines, denying China’s “nine-dash line” claim against the South China Sea. The arbitration stated that China’s “historical rights” claimed within the “nine-dash line” have no legal basis and do not have exclusive economic zone rights in the Nansha Islands. At the same time, the CCP has caused permanent and irreversible damage to the coral reef ecology in the Nansha Seas. The ruling also accused China of violating the Philippines’ traditional fishing rights in the waters of Huangyan Island.
On July 11 this year, Brinken reiterated the U.S. policy on the South China Sea claims announced on July 13, 2020, that is, the Trump administration’s denial of most of the CCP’s sovereignty over the South China Sea. This is the same as the then Secretary of State Pompeo reiterated last year. Pompeo said at the time that “Beijing’s claim to offshore resources in most parts of the South China Sea is completely illegal and it controls it through bullying.”
Brinken also called on the CCP to “abide by its obligations under international law, stop provocative behavior, and take measures to assure the international community that China (CCP) is committed to maintaining a rule-based maritime order and respecting the rights of all countries, large and small.”
The U.S. pledges to establish a free and open Mekong region
In addition to the South China Sea, the Mekong River has also become a new frontier for competition between the United States and China. Using its control over the waters of the river, Beijing has been actively infiltrating the lower Mekong countries and spending money on these countries.
The U.S. State Department’s statement on the evening of July 13th said that Brinken “committed the United States to continue to support the establishment of a free and open Mekong region under the Mekong-U.S. partnership.”
The Mekong River is called the “Danube” of Asia, and the upper reaches of it is called the Lancang River in China. The CCP has built a large-scale hydropower base on the main stream of the Lancang River, which ranks seventh in the “China’s 13 Largest Hydropower Base Planning”. The 11 dams built on the Lancang River enabled the CCP to control the taps of the Mekong River. The droughts of the Mekong River in 2010, 2016, and 2019 were all related to the CCP’s use of dams to store water.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein (Hishammuddin Hussein) said he hopes that Wednesday’s meeting will mark a “recommitment” to multilateral cooperation by the United States.
“This road is the only way to ensure stability, peace, prosperity and security in our region.” He said.
The U.S. is “deeply concerned” about the situation in Myanmar
Brinken also stated at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting that the United States is “deeply concerned” about the situation in Myanmar and urged ASEAN to take action to end violence and restore democracy in Myanmar.
The US State Department statement stated that Secretary of State Brinken expressed deep concern about the military coup in Myanmar and reviewed the principles of the rule of law, good governance, democracy and human rights in the “ASEAN Charter.” He called on ASEAN to take joint action to urge an end to violence, the restoration of Myanmar’s democratic transition, and the release of all those unjustly detained.
“The Secretary of State stated that the five-point consensus of ASEAN is an important step forward and urged ASEAN to take immediate action to hold the Burmese regime accountable and appoint a special envoy,” the US statement said.
Since the outbreak of a military coup in Myanmar on February 1 this year, which plunged Myanmar into turmoil, ASEAN has been leading major diplomatic efforts against Myanmar.
The Myanmar military government paid little attention to the five-point consensus of ASEAN, which was reached in April this year, aimed at ending violence, political negotiations and appointing a special envoy for Myanmar.
Editor in charge: Li Huanyu #
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