OpinionDon’t cry Unclos! South China Sea dispute legalese likely to focus at delayed Asean meeting

The Asean Regional Forum has been delayed to September but phone and video conversations show the coronavirus and sea dispute will be hot topics

Asean nations are expected to focus on the 2016 arbitral ruling and UN Law of the Sea Convention in their push to resolve the long-standing row with China

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Chinese coastguard vessels are seen in the disputed South China Sea. Asean states could use a 2016 arbitral ruling and the UN Law of the Sea Convention in their push to resolve the long-standing row. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:00am, 14 Aug 2020Updated: 12:51pm, 14 Aug 2020

If this was any other ordinary, pandemic-free year, August would have heralded a blitz of parachute diplomacy in Southeast Asia.

The annual Asean Regional Forum (ARF), which convenes foreign ministers of the 10-nation bloc and key global partners, is considered so important that it is highly irregular for a major power’s top diplomat to skip the security meeting, no matter their domestic crises.

Alongside the foreign ministers of the US, China, India and Russia, representatives from 17 non-Asean countries attended last year’s meeting in Thailand.

At times, the ARF – now in its 27th year – is an arena of fierce diplomatic fisticuffs.

Most times, however, the handful of us who self-profess as gadflies of these Asean goings-on are left to parse dreary post-meeting statements.

This year’s ARF was to have happened last week but was postponed to September owing to a surge in coronavirus cases in host nation Vietnam.

It would have brought together US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a time of severely strained ties between the superpowers, but we will have to wait to witness the fireworks, if any.