Asean leaders stick to 1982 UN treaty in South China Sea dispute
- The leaders of the 10-nation bloc say the UNCLOS agreement should be the basis of sovereign rights in response to Beijing’s claim
- The statement comes a day after Asean members held their annual summit, with the coronavirus pandemic and the maritime disputes high on the agenda
“We reaffirmed that the 1982 UNCLOS is the basis for determining maritime entitlements, sovereign rights, jurisdiction and legitimate interests over maritime zones,” the Asean statement said.
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The leaders were referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a 1982 international agreement that defines the rights of nations to the world’s oceans and demarcates stretches of waters called exclusive economic zones where coastal states are given the right to exclusively tap fishery and fuel resources.
They said in their statement that “UNCLOS sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out.”
Chinese officials did not immediately comment on the statement, but three Southeast Asian diplomats said that it marked a significant strengthening of the regional bloc’s assertion of the rule of law in a disputed region that has long been regarded as an Asian flash point.
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They spoke on condition of anonymity due to a lack of authority to speak publicly.
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China in recent years transformed seven disputed reefs into missile-protected island bases, including three with military-grade runways, and continues to develop them in actions that have set off protests and alarmed rival claimant states, as well as the United States and its Asian and Western allies.
In recent months, China has come under fire for what rival claimants say were aggressive actions in the disputed waters as countries were scrambling to deal with the coronavirus.