Vietnam, Philippines 'bullying' ASEAN over sea conflict: Cambodian sources

Kyodo News International, Inc.

PHNOM PENH, July 12 -- (Kyodo) _ Vietnam and the Philippines have demanded that ASEAN adopt strong language to reflect their positions in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea, leaving the 10-member grouping unable to adopt a communique three days after an ASEAN foreign ministers meeting, Cambodian diplomatic sources said Thursday.

One Cambodian diplomatic source described the positions taken by Vietnamese and Philippine officials as "bullying."

Vietnam has demanded that the communique includes a reference to "the maritime boundary of exclusive economic zone and continental shelves disputes between the Philippines, Vietnam and China," while the Philippines wants the mention of "Scarborough Shoal" in the document, the sources said.

Cambodia, as chair of the ASEAN meetings and a close friend of China, is not happy with the demands put up by Vietnam and the Philippines, the sources said.

The sources said Cambodia has warned that if the deadlock continues, a joint communique that is usually released soon after the annual meeting would be scrapped altogether.

The controversy over the language in the communique for the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting spilled over to a meeting between the Chinese and ASEAN foreign ministers on Wednesday.

Speaking at the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said "some ASEAN member states have taken unilateral provocative action on the issues of South China Sea," diplomatic sources said.

Yang effectively put on hold an agreement reached earlier by senior ASEAN and Chinese officials to open negotiations for a legally binding "code of conduct" in the South China Sea, saying the talks would have to wait until "the condition is ripe," the sources said.

The Scarborough Shoal was the scene of a stand-off between Chinese and Philippine government vessels earlier this year. Both the Philippines and China claim sovereignty of the shoal.

Vietnam, which disputes China's claims to the Spratly and Paracel island groups, has decried recent Chinese "patrolling" of the contested seas and a recent announcement by the Chinese National Offshore Oil Corp. that it will invite international bids for oil and gas exploration in an area of the Paracels.