SINGAPORE: The Philippines has told major global powers that Southeast Asia was not a “proxy” for superpower rivalries, as Washington and Beijing compete for influence in the region.
Conflicting claims over the South China Sea, which straddles vital commercial shipping lanes and is believed to sit atop vast natural gas deposits, have placed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the center of the struggle for regional influence among countries such as the US and China.
Philippine Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana told a security forum in Singapore it was time for outsiders to let ASEAN, currently chaired by Manila, determine its own course.
“As host... we will have to remind our friends, firmly if necessary, not to use ASEAN as a proxy for their rivalry,” Lorenzana said at the Fullerton Forum.
“We will reaffirm the unity and solidarity of ASEAN amidst this emerging superpower competition. We will also work for the finalization of a binding code of conduct for the South China Sea,” he added.
Four ASEAN members — Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam — along with China and Taiwan have laid partial or entire claims to the sea, which security analysts say is a potential flashpoint for conflict.
China, which claims almost the entire sea based on historical rights, angered other claimants when it built artificial islands in a bid to bolster its ownership bid.
While not a claimant, Washington says it has strategic interests in keeping the sea lanes open and criticized China for its island-building activity.
Previous ASEAN meetings have been marred by disunity on how to deal with Beijing over the South China Sea.
An arbitration court in The Hague last year said in a landmark ruling that China’s claims had no legal basis.
However, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has taken a more conciliatory approach to China, leading to a warming in bilateral ties as he steers Manila away from the US, its long-time defense treaty partner.
Lorenzana said Monday that talks with China about ownership are likely to be shelved for the time being and that both countries would “just manage the dispute for the benefit of everybody.”
Southeast Asia not a ‘proxy’ for superpower rivalry, warns Philippines
Southeast Asia not a ‘proxy’ for superpower rivalry, warns Philippines
Pull him off TV: Steve Bannon shuts down Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Trump’s former chief strategist called for the senator to be registered as a foreign agent
DUBAI: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon called on Tuesday for US Senator Lindsey Graham to be registered as a foreign agent of the Israeli government, escalating a growing conservative backlash against the senator’s vocal support for Israel.
Speaking on his podcast “War Room,” Bannon said Graham should be “pulled off of television,” adding: "This is dangerous… because you have guys like Lindsey Graham and dozens more that are doing the wrong thing.”
In a Fox News interview on Monday, Graham said: “To all the antisemites, to all the isolationists… I’m not with you, I’m with Israel, I will be with Israel to our dying day.”
Graham also urged Gulf Arab states to join military action against Iran. “What I want you to do in the Middle East, to our friends in Saudi Arabia and other places, [is] step forward and say, ‘this is my fight too, I join America, I’m publicly involved in bringing this regime down,’” he said.
In a post on X, Graham questioned the value of a US defense agreement with Saudi Arabia following the evacuation of the American embassy in Riyadh, writing: “Why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?”
Faisal Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News, responded to Graham’s comments in a Sky News interview, saying: “He flip flops so much, it’s actually entertaining.”
“On one hand, he says he will never set foot in Saudi Arabia. The next day, he’s here signing multimillion-dollar deals.”
“I don’t think anyone here takes him seriously,” Abbas added.
He warned Graham to be careful what he wished for: “Do you really want Saudi Arabia involved in this war putting our oil facilities at risk or do you want us stabilizing the energy markets?”
Graham pressed further, warning that inaction would carry a price. “Hopefully Gulf Cooperation Council countries will get more involved as this fight is in their backyard. If you are not willing to use your military now, when are you willing to use it?”
“Hopefully this changes soon. If not, consequences will follow.”
Graham's remarks drew sharp criticism from Bannon and others including podcast host Megyn Kelly.
She questioned on X whether Graham was overstepping his authority as a senator, writing: “When did Lindsay Graham become our president?”
Kelly also said Graham had threatened Lebanon, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab region, and Spain within a 24-hour period.
The problem with Graham “isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him,” she said in another post.
