(Bloomberg) -- A bloc of Southeast Asian nations sees an opportunity to build momentum for diplomacy among countries staking claims in the South China Sea following a provisional accord between China and the Philippines.
Speaking at the sidelines of a regional forum in Laos, Association of Southeast Asian Nations Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said he was hopeful the deal between Manila and Beijing would help de-escalate tensions as the two countries’ ships have clashed repeatedly over the past year.
“It’s good that Philippines and China worked together,” he said during an interview with Bloomberg News on Thursday. “If they sit down and talk through dialog and diplomacy it means we at the same time can work in parallel.”
The Philippines on Sunday said it had “reached an understanding” with China on the resupply of its troops stationed at a dilapidated World Ward II-era ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, in the Second Thomas Shoal in the contested Spratly Islands. The ship has been at the center of tensions between the two nations.
Manila didn’t elaborate on the interim pact but hours later both countries were at odds over the details of the arrangement. Philippines disputed a claim that Beijing would monitor the missions and must be informed in advance if Manila sends “living necessities” to its troops stationed on the ship.
Hourn said if the two sides continue to “sit down and talk through dialog and diplomacy, it means we at the same time can work in parallel” and “promote more confidence.”
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in 2022, has been pushing back against China’s sweeping claims to nearly all of the South China Sea, including by bolstering its military cooperation with its treaty ally, the US.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told her regional counterparts on Thursday that the escalation in the region “is increasingly real and worrying,” according to a readout. “One wrong move in the South China Sea will turn a small fire into a terrible firestorm,” she said.
Asean has been working on a code of conduct with China that’s meant to resolve confrontations, though talks have dragged on for two decades. Hourn has previously said he hopes a deal could be worked out by 2026.
“Of course, you know, it’s not easy sailing,” he said on Thursday. “But at least there’s commitment on both sides to work together to negotiate.”
--With assistance from Chandra Asmara.
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