US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is praising an upcoming fisheries agreement between Taiwan and the Philippines as an example of cooperation in the South China Sea.
Hagel was speaking Saturday in Singapore at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue. In his keynote speech, Hagel said China’s territorial claims destabilized the South China Sea. He said the US is opposed to any country's "use of intimidation, coercion, or the threat of force" to assert its claims. He also warned that Washington would not remain passive if the international order is threatened.
However, Hagel also said that cooperation is very important. He cited examples of cooperation such as an upcoming fisheries agreement between Taiwan and the Philippines and a consensus between Indonesia and the Philippines on disputed maritime borders. Hagel said the US hopes that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China can agree on a code of conduct in the South China Sea.
Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and China all claim parts of the South China Sea.