China to strengthen Maritime ties with ASEAN nations
Beijing is actively pursuing better ties with Southeast Asian countries.
By Vikram Malik, Maritime Direct India Correspondent
China has made concerted attempts to strengthen its relations with countries in Southeast Asia. Towards this end, Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi concluded a four-nation tour to Myanmar, Brunei, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Among other objectives, better maritime ties were a focal point of the talks that were held.
With the Philippines, China has urged a focus on improved energy ties, versus longstanding maritime disputes between the two nations. Joint exploration of waters in the region is deemed as the ideal way forward to achieve this goal, given reasonable untapped oil and gas reserves in the South China Sea. Both countries had signed an MoU to explore these reserves back in 2019.
Alongside, the spotlight was on better maritime cooperation during talks held between China and Brunei. Specific goals that were discussed included cooperation in the ocean economy, improved maritime financing, and better connectivity at sea. The two nations also pledged to jointly work towards marine environmental protection while applying apt ocean sciences.
The video below provides a historical perspective on China’s territorial disputes, both on land and at sea:
