In a series of meetings involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations earlier held this month in Kuala Lumpur, China's moves to strengthen its effective control of disputed territories in the South China Sea — including land reclamation — took center stage. But the discussions also exposed ASEAN's limitations and weakness as a group as it failed to adopt a strong, unified stance against China, apparently due to internal divisions among members. It will be important for countries concerned, including the United States and Japan, to work out strategies to reduce regional tensions by taking into account the positions of individual ASEAN countries.
The Philippines and Vietnam are the most vocal in their criticism of China's recent actions, while Thailand and Malaysia take a softer attitude toward Beijing, probably because China has offered infrastructure-related assistance to these countries — a move apparently intended to divide ASEAN members.
A joint statement by the ASEAN foreign ministers was released Aug. 6 — two days after their meeting. It stated that they "remained seriously concerned over recent and ongoing developments in the area" — a reference to China's land reclamation activities around reefs and the construction of such facilities as radar towers and airstrips. On the basis of satellite images, the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies says that China is engaged in land reclamation on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands with the aim of building a 3,000-meter airstrip. The islands are claimed by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The center also says that an airstrip of the same length is nearing completion on the Spratly's Subu Reef, which is close to an area where Filipinos are living. These airstrips will be long enough for the takeoff and landing of strategic bombers. However, the foreign ministers refrained from naming China in their communique.