China has halted land reclamation: Wang
Beijing has halted land reclamation activities in the South China Sea, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday in Singapore, as he called on countries in the region to speed up talks on a code of conduct for claimants in the region.
On the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings on Wednesday, when asked by a reporter whether China would temporarily halt reclamation work in the strategic waterway, Wang replied, "China has already stopped. You just take an airplane to take a look," Reuters quoted him as saying.
China's land reclamation on islets and reefs in the South China Sea has drawn continuous protests from neighboring countries and the U.S.
The foreign ministry in June announced that the land reclamation work would be finished soon, but the construction of military and civilian facilities would continue.
During the China-ASEAN meeting Wednesday, Wang raised three initiatives to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, including the code of conduct. He also called for non-regional countries to refrain from actions that might escalate or complicate the situation in the region and that countries should exercise and maintain their freedom of navigation and flight in the area in accordance with international law.
Wang said that China and ASEAN have agreed to speed up consultations on a code of conduct for the disputed South China Sea and resolve issues through dialogue. All parties have also agreed on discussing measures on maritime risk control and prevention.
China-ASEAN ties are a diplomatic priority, Wang noted, as he added that China would like to focus on regional cooperation as part of its 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative.
Productive talks
Analysts observed that representatives of China and the US had softened their tone over the issue after the meeting between Wang and Kerry on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting.
Kerry later told his counterparts from the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations that he had a "good meeting" with Wang, although he gave few details about the talks.
"We want to ensure the security of critical sea lanes and fishing grounds and to see that disputes in the area are managed peacefully and on the basis of international law," Kerry said in opening remarks to the ASEAN foreign ministers.
"While both Wang and Kerry remain firm on their stance toward the issue, their remarks also reflect an awareness of not wanting to widen the gap," Zhu Feng, director of the Collaborative Innovation Center of South China Sea Studies under Nanjing University, told the Global Times.
"Both have refrained from making aggressive remarks, and have shown efforts in maintaining communication," said Zhu.
Ahead of the ASEAN meetings, China protested against raising the dispute at the meeting. Albert del Rosario, Foreign Minister of the Philippines, accused Beijing of "massive reclamation activities" during Tuesday's meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers.
Experts believe cooperation outweighs confrontation as China and ASEAN countries have agreed on a series of measures to prevent escalation in the South China Sea.
Wang confirmed that China and ASEAN have agreed to set up two hotlines for maritime search and rescue and tackle emergencies in the South China Sea.
Away from confrontation
"The ASEAN meeting has been an occasion to harvest the results of previous communication," Wang Xiaopeng, an expert in maritime and border studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
"These results have shown that China's judgment was correct. Different from how some countries have been trying to hype up tension, China believes that the South China Sea is on the whole stable, and that all countries in the region have responsibility in safeguarding such stability," he said.
His viewpoint was echoed by Su Hao, director of the Asia-Pacific Research Center at China Foreign Affairs University, who believes related countries are shifting away from the previous more confrontational mood.
"While some countries like the Philippines will continue their efforts in using the ASEAN meetings as a platform to hype the issue, China has shown a proactive and responsible attitude by initiating related emergency handling measures," Su told the Global Times.
Wang is expected to join Kerry and the foreign ministers of the 10 ASEAN countries on Thursday at the ASEAN Regional Forum, where the South China Sea will continue to be on the agenda.
Also on Thursday, Wang may also meet with Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, to discuss oil exploration in the East China Sea, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's potential visit to China on September.
