KUALA LUMPUR — Southeast Asian leaders will seek to speed up plans for a binding code of conduct with China governing behavior in the disputed South China Sea at a summit, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said on Friday.
Aman said a massive flow of Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar to neighbouring countries will also be discussed at the two-day summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which starts on Sunday.
Anifah said leaders are expected to raise concerns over recent Chinese land reclamation in the South China Sea.
China, Taiwan and Asean members Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei have overlapping claims in the South China Sea. China has been pouring sand on reefs in the area to create new islands, sparking fear they could be used for Chinese air force and naval facilities.
"We have delivered the message to China very, very clearly that we want this (code of conduct) to be speeded up and hopefully they will give a positive response,'' Anifah told a news conference. He said, however, that Asean would not set a deadline for when it hopes to achieve a pact with China.
China claims virtually all of the South China Sea, which includes busy sea lanes and rich fishing grounds and is believed to have large undersea deposits of oil and natural gas.
The Philippines filed a case with an international arbitration tribunal in 2013 challenging China's claim.
Beijing has defended the reclamation, saying it is Chinese territory and the structures are for public service use and to support Chinese fishermen.
Asean has maintained a cautious stance in the dispute to avoid angering China, which is a key trading partner.
Anifah said the grouping also expressed concern to Myanmar over the exodus of refugees, mainly minority Rohingya, to Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia in the past two years.
"It is their internal affairs but if it has spread to Malaysia and Indonesia, it is no longer the affairs of Myanmar alone,'' he said. "We have appealed to Myanmar to find the best solution so that the issue will not be internationalised.''
Anifah said the grouping welcomes Myanmar's shift from military rule toward democracy and respects its sovereignty.
"Sometimes you can't change things in a day. It takes time but what we want to ensure is that Myanmar is taking every step possible to solve the problem. They have assured us,'' he said.
Critics say Asean's policy of not interfering in other members' internal affairs has been used to avoid holding a meaningful discussion on the Rohingya issue.
Predominantly Buddhist Myanmar is home to an estimated 1.3 million Muslim Rohingya. Although many of their families arrived from Bangladesh generations ago, most are denied citizenship by Myanmar as well as Bangladesh.
Attacks by Buddhist mobs have left hundreds of Rohingya dead and 140,000 trapped in camps where they live without access to adequate health care, education or jobs. More than 100,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar's western shores by boat, according to expert estimates.