The head of the US military’s Pacific Command on Friday urged Vietnam and China to exercise restraint in the South China Sea, warning that the “risk of miscalculation” was high amid the escalating tensions.
Admiral Samuel Locklear said he has “serious concerns” that the row could flare into a regional confrontation and urged both countries to resolve the problem through “normal types of vehicles that allow them to use international law.”
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 23rd World Economic Forum on East Asia in Manila, Admiral Locklear also urged claimant countries to immediately establish a formal code of conduct in the disputed sea.
He urged parties to “maintain the status quo” until such a code is put in place.
“The code of conduct should have been there several years ago. They appear to be not any closer today and underneath it, the status quo is changing.” “You can’t have a winner-take-all attitude,” he added. “It will require compromise, it will require dialogue.”
“We are not acting fast enough and there are so many changes happening now,” Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Laura del Rosario said. Activities in the zones by the claimants make it difficult to define a baseline for the code of conduct, she said.
