SINGAPORE: Negotiations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) over a code of conduct in the South China Sea will take time as there are different national perspectives on the issue, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday (March 5). .
“This issue is not easy to resolve and indeed, negotiating a code of conduct will raise the issue of what the outcome will be,” Lee said at a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
“Because the final answer is difficult, so negotiating the code will take quite a long time.”
Lee is in Melbourne for the 9th Annual Singapore-Australia Leaders’ Meeting and the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.
China and several Southeast Asian countries claim the South China Sea, and Beijing’s claim of sovereignty over much of the waterway has become a flashpoint in the region.
In recent days, tensions between the Philippines and China have risen, with Manila accusing the Chinese coast guard of trying to block government vessels.
Lee said that ASEAN countries have the same position on the South China Sea, but have different national perspectives.
Although Singapore has no claims in the disputed waters, it has an interest in freedom of navigation and the application of international law as the South China Sea is a “vital artery for international trade”, he added.
Albanese said Australia was a strong supporter of the law of the sea and had stressed that freedom of navigation through the South China Sea was essential.
“Our position on China remains very consistent, which is that we want to cooperate where we can, we will not agree where we must, but we will always engage in our national interests,” he said.
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
Lee and Albanese also responded to questions about whether China should be allowed to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) given the country’s trade restrictions on some Australian products.
CPTPP is a free trade agreement that primarily involves 11 countries, including Singapore and Australia. In July 2023, the UK became the 12th member and first non-founding country to join the trade pact.
Both prime ministers indicated that there needs to be a consensus between all parties before any country can join the partnership.
“Any economy that wants to join the agreement will have to demonstrate that it can meet, implement and comply with the rules and standards of the agreement. And that is the context in which any application will be considered,” Albanese said.
Lee emphasized that CPTPP is an open trade organization.
“This is intended to allow new members access and therefore, we welcome China to register and join, provided it meets CPTPP standards and requirements,” he said.
SINGAPORE-AUSTRALIA RELATIONS
The two leaders previously held a meeting where they reaffirmed the “excellent” state of bilateral relations, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a press statement.
They also noted good progress in bilateral cooperation across the six pillars of the Singapore-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), namely Economy and Trade, Defense and Foreign Affairs, Science and Innovation, Digital Economy, and Green Economy.
Defense cooperation between Singapore and Australia is an important part of the CSP, Lee said at a press conference, noting that the Singapore Armed Forces conduct training at Shoalwater Bay in Queensland.
“We really value our training area at Shoalwater Bay and we are grateful that we are working with Australia to develop a new training area at Greenvale, also in Queensland. It will take a little longer than we expected, but we are working through this problem.” he added.
“And on the other hand, we welcome Australian ships and aircraft to visit Singapore, which they did. I have said before and reiterated to the prime minister on this visit, that when Australia’s new submarines are ready, we welcome them to visit Changi Naval Base in due course.”
The two prime ministers also welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate maritime decarbonization and digitalization.
Singapore and Australia are working with interested partners to explore opportunities in developing zero or near-zero greenhouse gas emissions supply chains for the maritime industry. This includes building the necessary infrastructure, formalizing standards, and developing and implementing training requirements.
