by Our Foreign Desk

MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Najib Razak confirmed yesterday that south-east Asian countries would avoid direct confrontation with China over its “land reclamation” on disputed marine reefs.

Mr Najib had earlier chaired a meeting of the 10-member Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean).

He said that the bloc would push for a quick conclusion to a binding code of conduct to govern behaviour in disputed areas of the South China Sea and that Asean’s non-confrontational approach to the dispute had been effective in keeping tensions with Beijing at bay.

“We will continue to engage China in a constructive way,” Mr Najib confirmed.

“We hope to be able to influence China. It is also in their interest not to be seen as confronting Asean and that any attempt to destabilise this region will not benefit China either.”

His insistence on a co-operative stance was a rejection of calls by the Philippines for Asean to stand up to China. Manila has complained that Beijing is poised to take “de facto control” through its construction of artificial islands on reefs claimed by other countries.

President Benigno Aquino III told the Asean meeting that it must have political will and unite against “activities that exacerbate tensions” in the region. The Philippines has also warned that China would probably wait to complete its reclamation work before it agrees to conclude a code of conduct.

But Beijing has defended its reclamation, insisting that it is Chinese territory and that the structures are for public service use and to support Chinese fishermen.