Chitchat China bullying Asean Chair Laos over South China Sea in quotes

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

Nice summary in quotes. I removed the kindergarten analogy that did not stand out. So far the original 5 Asean members plus Vietnam are holding firm. Laos and Cambodia are being whipped silly by the Chinese. Not sure if it was even right to give Laos the chair in these trying times.


http://themiddleground.sg/2016/06/23...research/Asean and China – in kindergarten
Jun 23, 2016 01.00PM | Bertha Henson linkedin

by Bertha Henson

AFTER the Special Asean-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held from Monday to Tuesday (June 13 to June 14), Asean released a statement addressing China’s claims to the South China Sea. Hours later, the statement was withdrawn by a Malaysian ministry spokeswoman, who said that “urgent amendments” needed to be made. This sparked a tussle between Asean members – akin to a kindergarten spat. Here, we re-imagine Asean countries as children in the playground.

“We expressed our serious concerns over recent and ongoing developments, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and which may have the potential to undermine peace, security and stability in the South China Sea.

“We also cannot ignore what is happening in the South China Sea, as it is an important issue in the relations and cooperation between Asean and China.”
– From Asean’s retracted statement

“We have to retract the media statement by the ASEAN foreign ministers … as there are urgent amendments to be made.”
– Malaysian foreign ministry spokeswoman

“With no consensus, the Asean states decided that they would issue their own statement as they saw fit. But in what has been described as a sign of frustration over the immense pressure that China had put on Asean, Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry released the joint statement on Tuesday evening.”
– The Straits Times

“Malaysia releasing it was a manifestation of the extreme frustration of the original five Asean members plus Vietnam at the particularly crude and arrogant behaviour of the Chinese.”
– Asean official

“One senior regional diplomat told TIME that, in the busy minutes after the Asean statement went out, Beijing had lobbied regional ministers to make the embarrassing backtrack. Beijing’s foreign policymakers, he said, had specifically pressured Laos, which is this year’s Asean chair, to force the statement’s recall.”
– TIME

“When the dragon roars, the little countries need to stay away from the fire coming out of its mouth. We have no choice but to acknowledge this political reality.”
– A senior diplomat from the Asean region

“This is not about laws, it is totally about politics. I will not support any judgement by the court. [The case is a] political conspiracy between some countries and the court”.
– Cambodian Premier Hun Sen

“Like the previous incidents, the Chinese ships were fishing in the area that we claim is part of our EEZ. The navy pursued them, and they tried to run away and did not obey our instructions to stop.”
– Atmadji Sumarkidjo, spokesman for Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, referring to Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ)

“The difference with 2012 and 2016 is that Asean now lacks a mediating person to take on the role that former Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa did in 2012.”

“Asean will need to do some ‘damage control’ by coming up with a statement that clarifies the Asean position and sends a firm message.”
– Ms Moe Thuzar, lead researcher at the Asean Studies Centre in Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute.

“We will be chartering a course of our own. It will not be dependent on America, and it will be a line not intended to please anybody but the Filipino interest.”
– Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte

Additional reporting by Varsha Sivaram.


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