Although Asean has so far played a passive role in addressing the South China Sea dispute, a series of incidents — which raise concerns over the severity of tensions — should prompt Asean to take an assertive role to maintain peace in the region.
Some Asean leaders might be content with the current stance of the alliance, although practically it has not contributed much to ensuring the South China Sea dispute will be resolved through diplomatic channels.
However, recent incidents suggest that securing peace in the South China Sea could have significant implications for overall security in the region, and not just for the claimants. The South China Sea is not only rich in natural resources; it also serves as a major transport route for oil shipments and international navies.
Asean cannot be complacent, especially after countries such as the US and Group of Seven (G-7) nations reacted strongly against China’s land reclamation, which includes building airstrips in the Spratly islands — also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
Late last month, China unveiled its defence white paper in which it vowed to strike back hard militarily if attacked. The paper's release came amid heightened tensions with the US over the South China Sea.
Meanwhile, the US military has been challenging China’s sovereignty claims more publicly. The US would prefer the South China Sea to remain as international waters, with sovereignty determined by the United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea (Unclos). Although Unclos stipulates that only natural land features are relevant to maritime rights, there is concern that once the land reclamation finishes, China may de facto take over some of the disputed waters, because it would be difficult to prove original land features.
After the latest incidents, Asean should cooperate to promote maritime security in the region. Asean also stands in a better position to negotiate with claimants, particularly China, since they have shared economic and security interests.
China earlier slammed the G-7 nations for making "irresponsible remarks" in response to China’s efforts to create artificial islands to enforce its maritime claims. Unlike the G-7, Asean has its own mechanisms to confer with Beijing, including the Code of the Conduct (COC) on the South China Sea which is still being written up.
Although the prospective COC is expected to aim at the lowest denominator, as has often been the case with the previous Asean agreements, the COC should at least provide a forum to bring Asean and China to the negotiation table, instead of leaving Asean claimants to handle the issue with China bilaterally.
Asean and China should accelerate the completion of the COC since it has been mandated that Asean and China should not let the South China Sea issue affect their overall relationship.
In addition, Asean can use regional modalities to deal with the conflict. Asean dialogue covers regional security and maritime cooperation. If claimant countries can agree to resolve sovereignty issues constructively, the South China Sea can be a source of economic cooperation for Asean people.
Unfortunately, Asean has so far played a passive role, partly because the bloc itself has not been able to formulate a common stance when it comes to the South China Sea. For instance, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said a couple of years ago that Asean should not deal with the conflict as a group because there are only four Asean claimant countries.
Asean, however, does not have any other option except to forge a common stance and press for a diplomatic solution to ease the tensions.
Asean has often been accused of being ineffective when it comes to the South China Sea issue. This is despite the fact that Asean countries all have maritime interests.
The South China Sea has strategic value. That’s why the sovereignty dispute has drawn international attention. It is high time for Asean to show that the regional grouping has the ability to form a united stance and play a meaningful role to maintain peace and security in the region.
Claimant countries, meanwhile, should not let the South China Sea dispute obstruct broader economic and political cooperation. East Asian nations have, for example, become interdependently linked through robust economic activities and people-to-people connections. Similarly, the Asean region has the potential to become even more vibrant.
Constructive cooperation over the South China Sea conflict could thus do much to contribute to regional prosperity in the future.