Brussels, 14/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 11 March, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini called for calm in the South China Sea and for the avoidance of militarisation in the region. China has recently deployed missiles on Woody Island, the main island in the Paracel island chain. Woody Island is controlled by Beijing but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.
“While not taking a position on claims to land territory and maritime space in the South China Sea, the EU urges all claimants to resolve disputes through peaceful means, to clarify the basis of their claims, and to pursue them in accordance with international law”, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Mogherini states in a press release.
Through Mogherini, the EU also called on all claimants to refrain from militarisation in the region, from the use or threat of force, and to abstain from unilateral action. Mogherini also said that the temporary or permanent deployment of military forces or equipment on disputed maritime sites, which would affect regional security and threaten freedom of navigation and overflight, was “a major concern”.
The EU also encouraged engagement in confidence-building measures and security in the region. Underlining its full support for regional ASEAN-led processes, the EU said it was looking forward to a “swift conclusion of the talks on a Code of Conduct, which will further support a rules-based regional and international order”. The EU also reiterated its offer to share best practices on maritime security. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)