Multilateral forums not the right place for discussing sea disputes

At the ongoing 48th Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said his country would promote a proposal which the United States made earlier for all claimants to halt reclamation, construction and any aggressive actions that could heighten tensions in the South China Sea. Comments:

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, speaks to Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, front left, after their meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Aug 4, 2015. [Photo/IC]

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting is not a proper platform for discussing the South China Sea issues, specifically the territorial disputes. It has been proved many times that attempts to raise such disputes at a multilateral forum do not help resolve the underlying issues. On the contrary, more serious confrontations and clashes may emerge afterwards.

Wang Yi, Chinese foreign minister, Aug 3

Sensitive subjects such as the South China Sea issues should be avoided in the discussions at multilateral forums, which are designed to promote international cooperation. Besides, non-ASEAN nations such as the US are not supposed to interfere, and will face strong opposition from China if they do.

Liu Zhenmin, Chinese vice-foreign minister, Aug 4

For Washington and Manila, their fueling of tensions in the South China Sea will get them nowhere, but it might complicate the disputes in the waters. Some ASEAN countries fear increasing the tensions in the South China Sea. However, most of them are reluctant to get involved in the disputes between China and some of its neighbors, given their economic connections with China, which is pushing for closer cooperation. That is why even some ASEAN countries which have disputes with China over some reefs and islets, have chosen not to make a fuss at the annual Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

Jin Canrong, deputy dean of the School of International Studies at Renmin University, Aug 4

Showing excessive zeal for sovereignty and territorial disputes, the US and the Philippines are diverting attention away from other important topics, such as the extensive cooperation between China and the ASEAN. The truth is, Beijing never shirks its responsibility to maintain stability in the South China Sea. Just days ago, diplomats from China and the ASEAN countries agreed to set up two hotlines between their countries at the ninth China-ASEAN senior officials' meeting in North China's Tianjin.

Zhao Gancheng, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, Aug 4