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Shi Jiangtao

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China have called for a lasting settlement to the war in the Middle East, while pledging further cooperation on energy security.
A joint statement was released on Friday after a meeting in Manila between the foreign ministers of China and the Asean, against the backdrop of an ongoing energy crisis.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused prices to rise and led to shortages across Southeast Asia, prompting the Philippines to declare a national energy emergency.
According to the World Economic Forum Asia, 55 per cent of Southeast Asian crude oil imports originate from the Middle East, leaving up to 28 per cent of the region’s final energy consumption exposed to direct disruption.
Kao Kim Hourn, the secretary general of Asean, warned last month that the crisis in the Middle East had “laid bare the vulnerability of global energy and food supply chains to geopolitical shocks” and called for deeper cooperation with China.
Building on a previous statement from the 11-member bloc, Friday’s joint statement welcomed the ongoing US-Iran negotiations mediated by Pakistan and Qatar and called for a ceasefire and “a peaceful and lasting resolution” to the conflict.
It also said civilians should be protected and called for respect for sovereignty and unimpeded humanitarian access.
The statement referred to a four-point peace plan Beijing released earlier this year and expressed support for multilateralism and international law.
On energy cooperation, it said the two sides had agreed to “exchange information on energy policy and practical cooperation between Asean and China, and explore the possible establishment of cooperation mechanisms” to boost regional energy security.
It also committed both sides to work on power interconnectivity, clean and renewable energy, civilian nuclear energy and supply chains, linking Asean’s Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation with Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative and Global Development Initiative.
The establishment of institutional mechanisms with China has been presented as a way to strengthen regional energy resilience, while allowing Asean to maintain its long-standing approach of not becoming dependent on any single power.
The statement stressed the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight and the “safe, unimpeded and continuous transit” of vessels and aircraft in straits used for international navigation.


While framed around the Hormuz crisis, the references to international waters, freedom of navigation and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea closely mirrored the wording commonly associated with the disputes in the South China Sea.
The week saw further clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed waters.
On Tuesday, Manila summoned the Chinese ambassador after claims coastguards had fired water cannons at Philippine ships and carried out “dangerous manoeuvres” near Second Thomas Shoal, where a Philippine serviceman was injured after being hit on the head with a baton the previous day.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro condemned the actions as “reckless and unlawful”, while China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused Manila of “provocative intrusions” and warned against “foreign forces inciting trouble in our common home”.
Nonetheless, Lazaro said Asean and China were making “good progress” towards agreeing on a South China Sea code of conduct by the end of the year. Jing Quan, the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, said the clashes would not derail the talks and said the code would focus on rules of engagement.


Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who also attended the meeting in Manila, also pledged greater cooperation on energy security with Asean, noting the group’s combined economic weight.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz would set a “dangerous precedent” for other international waterways, including those in Southeast Asia.


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Southeast Asia is heavily reliant on oil imports and has been severely affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz


Southeast Asia is heavily reliant on oil imports and has been severely affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.


China and Asean eye closer energy cooperation as fighting flares up again in Middle East

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Southeast Asia is heavily reliant on oil imports and has been severely affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz

Southeast Asia is heavily reliant on oil imports and has been severely affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz