BALI: China’s increasingly cozy ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will grow even warmer this week, when Beijing accedes to the diplomatic grouping’s code of conduct that rules out use of force in the settlement of disputes.

The Chinese government’s accession to the Asean Treaty of Amity of Cooperation (TAC), scheduled for Wednesday at the Asean summit here, is relevant given Beijing’s involvement in territorial disputes in Southeast Asia, including the resource-rich Spratly Islands also by five other countries.

It marks a key point of consensus between smaller neighbours in the region and China, whose economic engagement have grown significantly in recent years in contrast with years past when Southeast Asian nations were often wary of China’s territorial aims and economic strength.

But last year, for instance, China and Asean went as far as to agree to form a free trade zone between them.

“It (accession) is another step in the increasing closer relations between Asean and China,” said Asean secretariat spokesman M.C Abad. “The treaty is a symbolic gesture of solidarity.”

In last year’s Asean summit in Cambodia, China and Asean signed four agreements: a free trade area by 2010, a landmark Declaration on the Conduct of Parties on the South China Sea — where the Spratly Islands are — cooperation on transnational crimes, agricultural cooperation.

“China is about to join Asean’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. China’s bilateral trade with Asean as a group reached $54.77 billion last year. The two sides are now actively putting the agreement on Free Trade area into effect,” China’s ambassador to the Philippines Wang Chungui Wang has said, underscoring the swiftness with which these ties have grown.

China is the first country to accede to Asean’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, a regional code of conduct in the relations between states. The most important principle in the treaty is the provision where parties renounce the use of force in the settlement of disputes.

“In case disputes on matters directly affecting them should arise, especially disputes likely to disturb regional peace and harmony, they shall refrain from the threat or use of force and shall at all times settle such disputes among themselves through friendly negotiations,” states Article 13 of the treaty.

Abad said Asean has always wanted China to accede to the treaty but “China would always say in the past that this is a Southeast Asian treaty of South east Asian states”.

“We thought that by getting other countries to accede to the treaty, eventually China will accede. But now, they’ll be the first. That’s how much Asean welcomes this event.” Abad said. “It means China is prepared to engage Asean under the rules of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.”

He attributed the change in China’s attitude to the importance of having a stable and peaceful environment in the region for China’s economic development.

“China needs a favourable environment in the region to continue its economic development, which is not inconsistent with Asean’s strategic needs,” Abad said.

In addition, he said, “China wants to be seen as a responsible member of the international community, a country that is prepared to follow the rules accepted by the international community.” In 2001, for instance, China joined the World Trade Organization, another “demonstration of its willingness to play by the rules”.

On the part of Asean, Abad said: “There is no other way to deal with China but to engage it in regional processes. China is important as a neighbour politically, in terms of security and is also important as an emerging economic power.”

The Manila-based Asian Development Bank (AsDB) also pointed this out in its Annual Development Outlook 2003.

In a press conference last week, Ifzal Ali, AsDB chief economist, said: “A very distinctive feature of economic development in this region over the past two years has been the emergence of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a major growth engine for international trade”.

He said exports from East, Southeast, and South Asia to PRC grew at “startling rates” during the first half of 2003. China “has already overtaken the United States as the main export market for some East Asian economies, such as Korea,” Ali said.

With growing Asian intra-regional trade, Ali said that “if this trend persists‘Asia’s economic outlook would, over time, become less vulnerable to economic swings in industrial countries.”

Wang said the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea signed in last year’s Asean summit “further enhanced mutual trust between the two sides”. He said China and Asean are working together on the ‘follow-ups’ of the declaration.

Another Asian country that will accede to the Asean Treaty of Amity and Cooperation at the Asean summit is India, making two of Asia’s biggest and most populous countries supporters of the accord. A signing ceremony on India’s accession is scheduled on Wednesday after China’s accession.

With India acceding to the treaty, Abad said, “Practically, you’re talking about the whole of Asia, about 2.5 billion people, easily one-third of the world’s population”.—Dawn/The InterPress News Service.