BANGKOK—The United States has accused China of blocking Southeast Asia Nations’ access to $2.5 trillion of energy resources in the South China Sea.
This comes as a Filipino-manned ship was allegedly harassed by a Chinese warship in Scarborough Shoal and Vietnam’s foreign ministry recently accused a Chinese oil survey vessel and its escorts of violating its sovereignty and demanded that Beijing remove its ships from the area.
After a tense standoff with the Vietnamese, the vessel reportedly sped away from Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone toward China.
“Beijing has used intimidation to try to stop Asean nations from exploiting their offshore resources, blocking access to $2.5 trillion in oil and gas reserves alone,” White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said in a speech during the Asean-US Summit on Monday.
“These tactics go against the rules of respect, fairness and international law,” he added.
Moreover, O’Brien said America has since been helping its Asean friends to uphold their sovereignty in the last three years, noting that they have provided $1.3 billion in security assistance in the Indo-Pacific.
“The [Asean] region has no interest in a new imperial era, where a big country can rule others on the theory that might makes right,” he said.
Malacañang earlier played down the recently reported incident in the Scarborough Shoal involving a Greek-owned oil tanker carrying a Liberian flag, saying it is “not a concern” for the Philippine national government.
Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo said that they also do not consider it as an affront to the country’s sovereignty.
The Duterte administration has been criticized for taking a “softer approach” when it comes to dealing with China on the maritime dispute in exchange for investments and funding for infrastructure projects.
While the President has raised again the arbitral ruling with China during his last trip to Beijing, the Chinese government still did not budge on its position in not recognizing the 2016 legal victory of the Philippines handed by a UN arbitral panel.
The Philippines and China, meanwhile, have also officially established a Joint Steering Committee on Cooperation on Oil and Gas Development, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
This development came following the countries’ signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on Oil and Gas Development as well as the terms of reference.
The joint committee has agreed to meet again in early 2020.
Image credits: AP
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