Blinken condemns China’s ‘dangerous and unlawful’ moves in South China Sea

Southeast Asian leaders are concerned about Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who pledges to uphold navigational freedom in the waterways.

Blinken attended the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Vientiane, Laos, on Friday, condemning China’s “increasingly dangerous and unlawful actions” in the vital sea trade route following a series of violent confrontations with the bloc’s members that have threatened to spiral into a full-scale conflict.

China, which claims almost the entire sea, has overlapping claims with ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as Taiwan. The waters, which are also awash with fishing stocks, gas, and oil, handle about a third of global trade.

In an effort to eject the Philippines from three South China Sea reefs and islands, Beijing has recently deployed military and coastguard vessels.

Additionally, it has ratcheted up tensions with Tokyo and its allies over a disputable island group in the East China Sea.

Additionally, it has deployed patrol ships to areas that Indonesia and Malaysia claim are exclusive economic zones.

Blinken vowed that the US would “support freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the Indo Pacific” and that China’s actions “injured people, damaged vessels from ASEAN nations, and contradict commitments to peaceful resolution of disputes.”

He added that the US hoped to work with ASEAN leaders to “protect stability across the Taiwan Strait,” a source of persistent hostility with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory.

On Thursday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called for more urgency in ASEAN-China negotiations over a code of conduct to govern the South China Sea after complaining to summit leaders about “harassment and intimidation.”

Malaysia, which will take over the 10-member ASEAN rotation next year, is expected to push for the completion of the code of conduct by 2026, despite disagreements regarding whether the pact should be binding.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong earlier this week warned of “real risks of an accident spiralling into conflict” if the sea dispute is not addressed.

China has resisted a 2016 international arbitration decision by a Hague-based United Nations agency that had invalidated its expansive claims and established militarized islands.

On Thursday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang accused “external forces” of introducing “bloc confrontation and geopolitical conflicts into Asia”, without mentioning specific countries.