Pompeo Urges Southeast Asia to Shun South China Sea Firms
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it was time for Southeast Asian governments to reconsider their own relationship with firms helping build islands in the South China Sea.
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AFP, AP
·4 minutes read
VTV VIA AP
This image taken from video provided by VTV shows U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaking during an online meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020.
Washington\'s top diplomat urged Southeast Asia on Thursday to cut ties with Chinese companies helping build islands in the South China Sea, weeks after the US blacklisted two dozen firms working in the disputed waters. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo\'s comments came at a regional Asian summit overshadowed by the US-China rivalry over a range of issues, from trade to the coronavirus.
Tensions are also simmering over the South China Sea, with the US last month sanctioning 24 Chinese state-owned companies it said had helped Beijing\'s military buildup in the resource-rich waterway.
Pompeo said it was time for Southeast Asian governments to reconsider their own relationship with firms working in the sea. "Don\'t just speak up, but act," he told the 10 foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during an online summit.
"Reconsider business dealings with the very state-owned companies that bully ASEAN coastal states in the South China Sea. Don\'t let the Chinese Communist party walk over us and our people."
TED ALJIBE/AFP
This file photo taken on April 21, 2017 shows an aerial shot of a reef in the disputed Spratly islands. The United States announced sanctions and restrictions on 24 Chinese companies and associated officials on August 26, 2020 for taking part in building artificial islands in disputed waters in the South China Sea.
This year\'s ASEAN summit comes days after Beijing launched ballistic missiles in the South China Sea as part of live-fire exercises. Vietnam, which is chairing the summit, expressed "serious concern" about recent militarisation of the sea.
"This has eroded trust and confidence, increased tension and undermined peace, security and rule of law in the region," said Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.
Although the U.S. lays no claim to the South China Sea, the Trump administration has recently imposed sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for Beijing’s military buildup in the area. It includes airfields and radar and missile stations on islands constructed atop coral reefs, raising fears China may interfere with freedom of navigation in international waters.
It’s not clear how many ASEAN members have dealings with the Chinese construction companies blacklisted by the U.S. Commerce Department. But Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration said last week it would not follow the U.S. move and will allow one of the blacklisted firms or its subsidiary to partner with a local company for an airport project in Cavite province south of Manila.
The U.S. has challenged China\'s sweeping territorial claims by deploying warships and fighter jets for what it calls freedom of navigation and overflight patrols in the disputed waters.
MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 3RD CLASS JASON TARLETON/U.S. NAVY VIA AP, FILE
In this July 6, 2020, file photo provided by U.S. Navy, the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76, front) and USS Nimitz (CVN 68, rear) Carrier Strike Groups sail together in formation, in the South China Sea.
There was no immediate comment from China or its foreign minister, Wang Yi, who was participating in the ASEAN meetings and separately met the group’s ministers Wednesday. China has insisted it has right to safeguard its national interests and accuses Washington of interfering in regional affairs.
And Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi laid blame on the United States for tensions, claiming Washington was "becoming the biggest driver" of the waterway\'s militarisation. China claims the majority of the South China Sea, invoking its so-called nine-dash line to justify what it says are historic rights to the key trade waterway.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all contest parts of China\'s declared territory in the sea.
AFP
Map showing disputed claims in the South China Sea.
Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, whose country is hosting ASEAN meetings this year, warmed up to Pompeo’s remarks, saying “the ASEAN-U.S. relationship has brought about mutual benefit to both sides.” “The U.S. role and contribution to maintaining peace, stability and security in the region are encouraged,” he said.
ASEAN, founded in 1967, has struggled to stay away from the escalating rivalry between Washington and Beijing. It has often asserted its “centrality” and regional leadership although some critics dismiss the group as a talk shop that is often vulnerable to the sway of world powers.
Depending on how ASEAN deals with issues, “they can either result in disaster or a new dawn of peace and stability for our region,” Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told colleagues on Tuesday.
“The challenge here is leadership – do we lead or do we follow?” he asked. “Make no mistake — Southeast Asia intends to remain the master of its own destiny.”
