US urges ASEAN-China to establish South China Sea regulations.

Biden Administration Supports ASEAN’s Efforts for Peaceful Cooperation with China in South China Sea

The Biden administration has expressed its support for ASEAN’s efforts to increase peaceful cooperation with China’s communist regime in the South China Sea. ASEAN recently held a summit where it announced its ongoing efforts to strengthen cooperation with China and craft a “Code of Conduct” for the South China Sea, where China and numerous ASEAN members lay claim to overlapping portions of it.

The Biden administration believes that such initiatives are invaluable for maintaining peace in the region. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel stated during a May 11 press briefing that “there is important space for those kinds of talks to continue to have some kind of framework and rules of the road as it relates to that part of the world.”

ASEAN on the Front Line of China Expansion

However, ASEAN’s relationship with China’s communist regime is not without critical hardships. ASEAN members Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam all hold claims to various parts of the South China Sea, which China has systematically sought to expand its control over through the creation of artificial islands and mass use of illegal fishing fleets.

The statement put out by the body after its summit this week referred to the issue euphemistically as “the situation in the South China Sea” without specifically naming China. Despite this, the Biden administration remains supportive of ASEAN’s efforts to increase peaceful cooperation with China in the region.

Key Takeaways:

• The Biden administration supports ASEAN’s efforts to increase peaceful cooperation with China in the South China Sea.
• ASEAN recently announced its ongoing efforts to strengthen cooperation with China and craft a “Code of Conduct” for the South China Sea.
• ASEAN members hold claims to various parts of the South China Sea, which China has systematically sought to expand its control over.
• The Biden administration believes that such initiatives are invaluable for maintaining peace in the region.