The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Australian government called on countries in the region this Wednesday to “avoid unilateral actions” that “threaten peace” in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. After a summit in the Australian city of Melbourne to mark the 50th anniversary of the country's relations with the Union, participants called for efforts to maintain security and stability in an area of great importance. “We emphasize the need to maintain and promote an atmosphere set out in the code of conduct arising from the South China Sea negotiations,” they said in a final statement, making clear that engagement within ASEAN was “vital”. for the region. They have also stressed the importance of “creating conditions conducive to negotiations” in this regard and reiterated that their aim is to achieve “an effective code consistent with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.” corresponds”. and put an end to disputes. To this end, they declared that “freedom of navigation and flight” must be preserved, but rejected any project of militarization. “We ask for restraint to avoid new incidents,” they said shortly after several Chinese and Filipino ships collided in disputed waters near Ayungin Atoll, also known as Second Thomas. Both ASEAN – consisting of Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – and Australia have therefore advocated establishing “dialogue” to resolve disputes in accordance with those laid down in international law principles to use.
