HANOI, Vietnam – U. S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday asked Southeast Asian countries for agreements with blacklisted Chinese corporations across Washington for the island outpost structure he uses to “intimidate” rival plaintiffs in the disputed South China Sea.
Pompeo spoke to opposing issues of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at an annual video convention due to the coronavirus pandemic. Four of the members, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, have been caught up in the long-term territorial dispute with China. along with Taiwan, on the busy waterway, which Beijing claims almost entirely.
Although the United States claims the South China Sea, Trump’s leadership recently imposed sanctions on Chinese officials guilty of strengthening the Beijing army in the region, including airfields and radar and missile stations on islands built on the most sensitive coral reefs, leading to fears that China may simply interfere with freedom of navigation in foreign waters.
“I think they’ll move on, not only talk, but act,” Pompeo told high-ranking diplomats in the 10-nation bloc, without giving further details. A State Department spokeswoman said she had pushed for a nonviolent settlement of disputes.
China respects the democratic values and principles of sovereignty, quality and territorial integrity enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, said Pompeo, who cited the US blacklist of some two dozen Chinese corporations for their role in building synthetic islands in disputed waters that violate the claims of other countries. States.
“Consider that deal with state-owned enterprises that intimidate ASEAN coastal states in the South China Sea,” Pompeo said.
“Don’t let the Communist Party of China trampl on us and our people. You have confidence and the American will be here in friendship to help you,” he said.
It is known how many ASEAN members have relations with Chinese structured corporations on the blacklist of the U. S. Department of Commerce, but the administration of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said last week that it would adhere to the US resolution and allow one of the blacklisted corporations or its spouse’s subsidiary with a local company for an airport assignment in Cavite province south of Manila.
The United States has challenged China’s vast territorial claims by deploying warships and warplanes so it calls freedom of navigation and overflight patrols in disputed waters.
There were no immediate comments from China or its foreign minister, Wang Yi, who attended the ASEAN meetings and met with the group’s ministers on Wednesday. China has insisted that it has the right to safeguard its national interests and accuses Washington of interfering in regional affairs. .
Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, whose country is this year’s ASEAN meetings, was excited by Pompeo’s statements and said: “The ASEAN-US relationship is not the only one in the world. But it’s not the first time It has brought mutual benefits to both sides. “
“The role and contribution of the United States in maintaining peace, stability and security in the region is being fostered,” he said.
ASEAN, founded in 1967, is suffering to stay away from the growing rivalry between Washington and Beijing. It has asserted its “centrality” and regional leadership, although some critics dismiss the organization as a communication store vulnerable to the dominance of global powers.
Depending on how ASEAN addresses the problems, “they can lead to disaster or new peace and stability for our region,” Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told his colleagues on Tuesday.
“The challenge here is leadership, are we leading or following it?”He asked. ” Make no mistake, Southeast Asia intends to remain in its own destiny. “
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Associated Press newscasts Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to the report.
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