He is also meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte.
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The Philippines and Vietnam both wanted the ruling, which denied China’s sweeping claims in the strategic seaway that channels more than $5 trillion in global trade each year, and a call to respect worldwide maritime law to feature in the communique.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay has said that the Hague arbitral tribunal’s award should give way to a diplomatic process to resolve the South China Sea issue.
Bonnie Glaser, Director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and Internatonal Studies (CSIS), told VOA that Washington “has not excluded other forms of negotiations and has stressed that multilateral mechanisms should be employed as well, especially when bilateral talks prove fruitless”.
The Philippines and Vietnam both wanted the ruling, which denied China’s sweeping claims in the strategic seaway that channels more than $5 trillion in global trade each year, and a call to respect worldwide maritime law to feature in the communique.
“Conversation will continue to proceed”, he said.
Yasay met with U.S. counterpart John Kerry on Wednesday in Manila, during which Yasay thanked him for Washington’s support on the court decision.
The two issues are not related, he said, reiterating an earlier assertion from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
He said he would encourage Mr Duterte, who assumed office on June 30, to engage in dialogue and “turn the page” with China.
China’s official Xinhua news agency said Yasay’s comments that the resolution of the dispute was for the Philippines and China only was “a welcoming change in Manila’s policy”.
“Our consistent policy is to settle disputes through peaceful means in accordance with national laws and United Nations (conventions and laws), and we attach quite (a lot of) importance to bilateral negotiations“, Le Hoai Trung told The Associated Press.
Duterte had said that “war is not an option” in dealing with China.
At a meeting of the foreign ministers of 10 Southeast Asian nations on Sunday, even the Philippines was reluctant to have the grouping rebuke China, and in several forums said its dispute had nothing to do with the region, according to diplomats who attended the closed-door meetings.
“It may or may not happen, but the objective is to resolve the disputes based on global law and Unclos”, Yasay said.
While the U.S. calls for diplomacy to resolve the dispute, activists consider that military operations in the region threaten to complicate the South China Sea issue. “But we knew that there was middle ground without compromising the rights of the Philippines and the award that was recognized by the arbitral tribunal”.
“We are trying to create a solution mindful of the rights of people established under the law.”
Kerry also said that the U.S. wanted to stay neutral in the conflict, but added that Washington has an unwavering position when it comes to the protection of rights, freedoms and legal use of airspace and maritime waters as set out by global law.
Yasay said the issuance of a joint communique was a victory for ASEAN, which was divided but showed it was united on the need to stick to global law and ensure peace.
Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have claims to the South China Sea, a vital waterway through which US$5 trillion in annual trade passes. It is also believed to sit atop vast reserves of oil and gas.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later described his meeting with the ASEAN ministers as “positive”, adding that “only one country mentioned the arbitration case”.
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A statement from China’s Wang Yi said Wednesday that the trilateral statement “is fanning the flames” at a time when “regional countries are determined to enhance cooperation and want to see the South China Sea situation cool down”.
