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Will ASEAN support the Philippines in the sea dispute with China?
By not collectively condemning violations of international norms in the region, ASEAN unintentionally signals tolerance of foreign aggression.
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Play with fire: Chinese Coast Guard vessels fire water cannons on March 5, 2024 toward Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 on its way to a resupply mission at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. (Reuters/Adrian Portugal)
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SEAN prefers to remain neutral in the superpower rivalry between the United States and China even when it is at the expense of its member states. This is the case the Philippines is facing now.
Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. asserted during the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta in September last year that the Philippines would continue to uphold its rights to navigate in the disputed waters while urging all involved parties to practice self-restraint.
Marcos also stressed the need to demonstrate “ASEAN centrality” in the region and prioritize the Philippines’s interests within the regional bloc through regional and multilateral cooperation.
He emphasized the importance of upholding the international rules-based system, which has underpinned regional security, peace and order.
From the crisis in Myanmar to the South China Sea dispute, ASEAN should consider more proactive involvement and increase diplomatic pressure to provide platforms for dialogue and collective action.
ASEAN was founded in 1967, 27 years earlier than the European Union. Unlike the EU, which has enforcement mechanisms that uphold its shared values and laws, ASEAN upholds a policy of noninterference—a policy rooted in the authoritarian past of member nations during its establishment.
Its founding members, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, were predominantly governed by authoritarian regimes that prioritized noninterference in internal affairs to maintain political stability and control.
