ASEAN asks China to clarify its sea map

JAKARTA (JP): The seven members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said yesterday that they consider China's declaration on the enlargement of its sea boundaries by 2.5 million square kilometers as inconclusive and yet to be clarified.

"ASEAN has asked China about the issue and China has said that its experts on sea boundaries will discuss the issue further with each of the ASEAN members," Izhar Ibrahim, the director general of political affairs of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

Izhar said that ASEAN believed China's new sea boundaries may very well overlap with those of some of the Association's member countries unless the Beijing government clearly defines the basis on which it drew up the boundaries.

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said last week that Jakarta had sent China an "aide memoire", asking Beijing to explain its new baselines.

ASEAN and other world leaders have warned that the South China Sea issue is potentially explosive and must be properly managed.

During a dialog session with his Chinese counterpart, Qian Qichen, Malaysia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmad Badawi also touched on the issue, saying that ASEAN hoped to receive some clarification from the Beijing government regarding the issue.

China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam have all claimed wholly or in part the group of islands known as the Spratlys. Located in the South China Sea, the Spratlys are believed to have plentiful oil and gas reserves.

China announced in May that it had accepted the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as the basis for settling the claims. At the same time however Beijing also announced new baselines for its sea territory.

"China's declaration of 15th May 1996 on its baselines has raised some questions within ASEAN. We hope to receive some clarification from China on this declaration and what it means," Badawi said in a statement yesterday.

Badawi was ASEAN's representative in the dialog with China, one of a series of dialogs it holds with several Western countries and Asian powers in the wake of its annual ministerial meeting.

Under the UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea, a country's sovereignty over its sea territory is up to 12 miles from its shores. Beyond the 12-mile stretch is the 200-mile exclusive economic zone of the country which it can explore and exploit.

The zone, however, is free international waters.

China, responding vaguely to the questions raised by ASEAN. suggested yesterday that the issue of the baselines will be discussed further by its experts and those of the ASEAN members. (ego)