Beijing's sea baselines to be questioned

JAKARTA (JP): ASEAN will seek further clarification during either the ASEAN Regional Forum or the Post Ministerial Conferences on a recent Chinese declaration in which Beijing unilaterally defined its sea baselines in the South China Sea.

Malaysia's Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Kamil Jafaar said that ASEAN will most likely pursue the matter in the coming week at a meeting which will involve Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen.

"So maybe in the ASEAN-plus one meeting we may have the opportunity of seeking clarification," he said referring to the Post Ministerial Conferences in which individual ASEAN ministers accompanied by officials from other members will meet with a dialog partner.

Malaysia is the coordinating country due to hold a meeting with China.

"We want to know the basis of the declaration. See what they will say," Jaafar said.

China in May passed a declaration which defines its territorial sea borders in the South China Sea.

The area is a potential flash point in the region with several countries having overlapping territorial claims. At least four ASEAN members -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- are directly involved in the disputed territory.

ASEAN officials have questioned the grounds for Beijing's demarcation, arguing that their basis only applies to archipelagic states.

"If China is an archipelagic nation then there is basis, but do you think that China is an archipelagic nation?" Jaafar quipped.

Separately, Indonesia's Director General of Political Affairs Izhar Ibrahim said yesterday Indonesia will bring up the issue during "any forum possible" but cited the ASEAN Regional Forum as the most likely one.

He also asserted that Indonesia is questioning Beijing's claimed sea baselines and maintained that it was unapplicable considering China's position as a continental and not an archipelagic state.

Izhar said he expects China to "define more clearly" the borders as it has delineated in its legislation.

He added that if the legislation were applied, China could extend its claims further to Indonesia's Natuna Island.

The seabed surrounding the islands are potentially rich in natural gas which Indonesia hopes to exploit in the coming years.

Kamil Jafaar stressed that whether it was in the ASEAN Regional Forum or Post Ministerial Conferences, ASEAN will follow through on the issue, adding that it could also be discussed bilaterally and during the annual ASEAN-China dialog.

Nonetheless, given its complexity of the overlapping claims, he cautioned against expecting any quick solution to the general dispute surrounding the South China Sea.

"Yet I think we have to persevere to find a solution acceptable to all...It's not easy to solve everything," he remarked. (pwn/mds)`