Le also responded to questions fielded by visiting mediamen who are members of the Confederation of Asean Journalists led by its president, Benny Antiporda.
The Asean official noted that it is not only the Philippines that has rejected China’s 9-dash line policy but other Asean nations as well that are signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) which, he said, is more binding.
“Since 2009 when China [asserted the] dotted line concept and claim, one of the Asean countries lodged a protest with the UN. All Asean claimants protest [against] the dotted line [concept] because it’s not [in accordance with the] commitment [to] Unclos and the dotted line covers 90 percent of the South China Sea. There is no way it can be accepted by any party to the Unclos,†Le explained.
Manila filed a memorial last year before the UN International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea contesting China’s 9-dash line policy.
But Le said China is not considered as a threat to regional peace because the sea disputes are but one of the many areas where China and Asean countries are embroiled in.
“We have been talking about sovereignty issues but we have to be reminded and aware that this is not the only issue with China. We have a very substantive engagement with China,†he pointed out.
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Topic: Asean backs Manila on sea row (Read 782 times)