Image Credit: ASEAN Economic Community
flag pattern on synthetic leather texture via
Wikimedia Commons
Revealed: The Truth
Behind ASEAN's
Retracted Kunming
Statement
New details on the June 14 meeting
between ASEAN and China shed
light on the imbroglio surrounding
ASEAN’s statement.
Editor’s note: This analysis is a post-script to an earlier article by Carl Thayer at
Flashpoints. That article is available here.
On Thursday, June 16 the official Vietnam News Agency released the complete text of
the “press statement” drawn up by ASEAN foreign ministers at their special meeting
with China’s foreign minister Wang Yi on June 14. The text of this press statement
confirms that “the ASEAN member states consented to the content of the Press
Statement of their Foreign Ministers.”
The Straits Times also confirms that the ten ASEAN ministers reached consensus on an
ASEAN statement to be read out to a joint press conference at the end of the special
meeting by Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, as ASEAN countrycoordinator
for dialogue relations with China. “But at the last minute,” the report
continues, “the Chinese presented the ASEAN ministers instead with a 10-point
consensus, which ASEAN could not accept.”
Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.
ASEAN ministers decided that Balakrishnan “would not attend any joint press briefing
as it would be rude to disagree with the Chinese minster in public.” ASEAN ministers
also decided to issue their joint statement separately to the media. According to The
Straits Times, “That, too, was scuttled by the Chinese who lobbied its friends in the
grouping to block the statement.”
Media reports suggest that China applied diplomatic pressure on Cambodia and Laos to
get them to back away from their earlier endorsement of the press statement. China
confirmed that it approached Laos as ASEAN Chair.
By Carl Thayer
June 19, 2016
Revealed: The Truth Behind ASEAN’s Retracted Kunming Statement | The Diplomat Page 1 of 3
http://thediplomat.com/2016/06/revealed-the-truth-behind-aseans-retracted-kunming-st... 6/20/2016
ASEAN ministers then decided that each member could “issue their own statement as
they saw fit.” There was also confusion over how the original ASEAN joint statement
was to be disseminated. It was in this context that Malaysia, frustrated “over the
immense pressure China has put on ASEAN” released the text of the original joint
statement to the AFP, which it later rescinded on instructions from the ASEAN
Secretariat. By this time ASEAN ministers had dispersed.
According to one ASEAN diplomat quoted by The Straits Times, “Malaysia releasing it
[the joint press statement] was a manifestation of the extreme frustration of the
original five ASEAN members plus Vietnam at the particularly crude and arrogant
behaviour of the Chinese.”
What is unclear is how the decision to retract the agreed joint statement was made and
by whom.
Now that the complete text of the ASEAN Foreign Minister’s press statement has been
issued it is possible to place the paragraphs quoted in the media in context. What is
most striking is that the second paragraph of the press statement is quite forthright in
linking ASEAN-China relations to the South China Sea dispute. This paragraph reads:
We noted that 2016 is a milestone for ASEAN-China relations as it marks
the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations. We look forward
to working together with China to bring ASEAN-China cooperation to the
next level. But we also cannot ignore what is happening in the South China
Sea as it is an important issue in the relations and cooperation between
ASEAN and China. This is the context in which this Special ASEAN-China
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held today.
The controversy following the ASEAN-China special meeting was a product of Chinese
heavy-handedness and a bureaucratic snafu resulting from poor ASEAN coordination
and decision-making under pressure.
The ball is now in ASEAN’s court. It must explain its handling of this issue and more
importantly clarify the status of the joint press statement and any amendments that
may be made. All ASEAN members, including Cambodia and Laos, should either
reconfirm their support for the press statement or explain why they backtracked.
As a recent report by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) has
demonstrated, China’s claim that it has received the support of 60 countries for its
South China Sea policy is highly questionable. The AMTI report identified 50 countries
that appear to be on China’s list, of which eight have confirmed their support, 39 have
remained publicly silent or have issued vague statements, and three have denied
China’s claim of support (including Cambodia).
More importantly, ASEAN ministers must redouble their efforts to reach agreement on
a joint statement to be issued after the Arbitral Tribunal hearing the Philippines’ case
against China makes it findings known. Media reports from the Philippines suggest the
decision could be made no later than July 7.
Revealed: The Truth Behind ASEAN’s Retracted Kunming Statement | The Diplomat Page 2 of 3
http://thediplomat.com/2016/06/revealed-the-truth-behind-aseans-retracted-kunming-st... 6/20/2016
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flag pattern on synthetic leather texture via
Wikimedia Commons
Revealed: The Truth
Behind ASEAN's
Retracted Kunming
Statement
New details on the June 14 meeting
between ASEAN and China shed
light on the imbroglio surrounding
ASEAN’s statement.
Editor’s note: This analysis is a post-script to an earlier article by Carl Thayer at
Flashpoints. That article is available here.
On Thursday, June 16 the official Vietnam News Agency released the complete text of
the “press statement” drawn up by ASEAN foreign ministers at their special meeting
with China’s foreign minister Wang Yi on June 14. The text of this press statement
confirms that “the ASEAN member states consented to the content of the Press
Statement of their Foreign Ministers.”
The Straits Times also confirms that the ten ASEAN ministers reached consensus on an
ASEAN statement to be read out to a joint press conference at the end of the special
meeting by Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, as ASEAN countrycoordinator
for dialogue relations with China. “But at the last minute,” the report
continues, “the Chinese presented the ASEAN ministers instead with a 10-point
consensus, which ASEAN could not accept.”
Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.
ASEAN ministers decided that Balakrishnan “would not attend any joint press briefing
as it would be rude to disagree with the Chinese minster in public.” ASEAN ministers
also decided to issue their joint statement separately to the media. According to The
Straits Times, “That, too, was scuttled by the Chinese who lobbied its friends in the
grouping to block the statement.”
Media reports suggest that China applied diplomatic pressure on Cambodia and Laos to
get them to back away from their earlier endorsement of the press statement. China
confirmed that it approached Laos as ASEAN Chair.
By Carl Thayer
June 19, 2016
Revealed: The Truth Behind ASEAN’s Retracted Kunming Statement | The Diplomat Page 1 of 3
http://thediplomat.com/2016/06/revealed-the-truth-behind-aseans-retracted-kunming-st... 6/20/2016
ASEAN ministers then decided that each member could “issue their own statement as
they saw fit.” There was also confusion over how the original ASEAN joint statement
was to be disseminated. It was in this context that Malaysia, frustrated “over the
immense pressure China has put on ASEAN” released the text of the original joint
statement to the AFP, which it later rescinded on instructions from the ASEAN
Secretariat. By this time ASEAN ministers had dispersed.
According to one ASEAN diplomat quoted by The Straits Times, “Malaysia releasing it
[the joint press statement] was a manifestation of the extreme frustration of the
original five ASEAN members plus Vietnam at the particularly crude and arrogant
behaviour of the Chinese.”
What is unclear is how the decision to retract the agreed joint statement was made and
by whom.
Now that the complete text of the ASEAN Foreign Minister’s press statement has been
issued it is possible to place the paragraphs quoted in the media in context. What is
most striking is that the second paragraph of the press statement is quite forthright in
linking ASEAN-China relations to the South China Sea dispute. This paragraph reads:
We noted that 2016 is a milestone for ASEAN-China relations as it marks
the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations. We look forward
to working together with China to bring ASEAN-China cooperation to the
next level. But we also cannot ignore what is happening in the South China
Sea as it is an important issue in the relations and cooperation between
ASEAN and China. This is the context in which this Special ASEAN-China
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held today.
The controversy following the ASEAN-China special meeting was a product of Chinese
heavy-handedness and a bureaucratic snafu resulting from poor ASEAN coordination
and decision-making under pressure.
The ball is now in ASEAN’s court. It must explain its handling of this issue and more
importantly clarify the status of the joint press statement and any amendments that
may be made. All ASEAN members, including Cambodia and Laos, should either
reconfirm their support for the press statement or explain why they backtracked.
As a recent report by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) has
demonstrated, China’s claim that it has received the support of 60 countries for its
South China Sea policy is highly questionable. The AMTI report identified 50 countries
that appear to be on China’s list, of which eight have confirmed their support, 39 have
remained publicly silent or have issued vague statements, and three have denied
China’s claim of support (including Cambodia).
More importantly, ASEAN ministers must redouble their efforts to reach agreement on
a joint statement to be issued after the Arbitral Tribunal hearing the Philippines’ case
against China makes it findings known. Media reports from the Philippines suggest the
decision could be made no later than July 7.
Revealed: The Truth Behind ASEAN’s Retracted Kunming Statement | The Diplomat Page 2 of 3
http://thediplomat.com/2016/06/revealed-the-truth-behind-aseans-retracted-kunming-st... 6/20/2016
You have read 3 of your 5 free articles this month.
Subscribe to
Diplomat All-Access
Enjoy full access to the website and
get an automatic subscription to our
magazine with a Diplomat All-Access
subscription.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
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Revealed: The Truth Behind ASEAN’s Retracted Kunming Statement | The Diplomat Page 3 of 3
http://thediplomat.com/2016/06/revealed-the-truth-behind-aseans-retracted-kunming-st... 6/20/2016
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