A senior State Department (unnamed) official told reporters the US will certainly be “an active editor” in the process of “helping the chair to develop a joint statement” coming out of the East Asia Summit ministerial and the ASEAN Regional Forum meeting scheduled to be held later this week. They also called on China to abide by the tribunal’s decision.
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The ministers reiterated the need to establish hotline to manage maritime emergencies in the South China Sea and the adoption of a joint statement on the observance of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) in the South China Sea as practical measures that could reduce tensions, and the risks of accidents, misunderstandings and miscalculation.
Three other members of the bloc – Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei – also have competing claims with Beijing over parts of the South China Sea.
Kerry met with the foreign ministers from the 10 members of ASEAN in Vientiane yesterday and made no direct mention of the tensions in South China Sea.
Even after a late-night meeting of foreign ministers called to thrash out the issue late on Saturday, the region’s top diplomats were unable to find a compromise. “We’re back to the negotiating table”.
However, neither the recent Hague tribunal ruling or any single nation, including China, were mentioned.
In Vientiane, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for an end to the “political manipulation and sensationalisation” of the South China Sea and reiterated a desire for the United States to help support a return to direct bilateral negotiations between Beijing and Manila.
In the Joint Communique, Asean’s foreign ministers called for the peaceful resolution of disputes, including “full respect for legal and diplomatic processes”, without resorting to the threat or use of force and in accordance with worldwide law.
Kerry also spoke with Wang for about an hour in their first meeting since the South China Sea ruling.
The statement said ASEAN member states and China acknowledge that maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea region serves the fundamental interests of ASEAN Member States and China (“the Parties”) as well as the worldwide community.
Washington says it takes no position on the territorial disputes but argues for free sea and air passage through what it considers global waters.
According to the outlet, the gridlock involving ASEAN foreign ministers was undone only when the Philippines withdrew the USA -backed request in mentioning the ruling in a statement. Xi did not mention the South China Sea but stressed that China and the US needed to respect each other’s core interests, implying that no compromise is forthcoming.
But Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin warned ASEAN against being influenced by outside powers, a clear rebuke to Washington.
ASEAN boasts a diverse array of countries ranging from communist one-party states like Laos to the Islamic sultanate of Brunei, military junta-led Thailand and raucous democracies like Indonesia and the Philippines. A commentary published by the official Xinhua news agency on Sunday said the court ruling was a “blow to peace and stability in the region.and only serves to increase the likelihood of confrontation and turbulence”.
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Its ability to deal with Beijing is seen as a test of whether it can jointly confront other pressing regional challenges outside of trade.
