ASEAN and China will make little progress in sea talks

Significance

A row between the Philippine and Chinese coast guards in mid-February underscored that tensions in the South China Sea remain elevated. Indonesia is the 2023 ASEAN chair.

Impacts

• The US and Philippine coast guards will undertake joint patrols in Philippine waters, annoying Beijing.
• South-east Asian claimants will work harder to develop their own energy projects in waters claimed by China.
• Maritime traffic in the South China Sea will not be disrupted by the various territorial and jurisdictional disputes in the area.