“And we agree with that… no claimant should be acting in a way that is provocative, no claimant should take steps that wind up raising tensions”, Kerry was quoted as saying by GMA News.
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On Tuesday, Kerry said he would urge the Philippines to continue talks with China regarding the sea.
“I assured Secretary Kerry that we will pursue our planning process for the full implementation of EDCA”.
Japan, the US and Australia have been citing global laws for some time, but in fact they have been adopting a double standard towards worldwide laws, which they adopt only when the worldwide laws fit their needs, said the spokesperson.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C) speaks to reporters after he met with US State Secretary John Kerry (not pictured) on the sideline of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) annual ministerial meeting and the Regional Security Forum in Vientiane on July 25, 2016.
Duterte has also convened a high-level national security council to monitor the South China Sea dispute.
Tensions in the region have escalated in recent years amid altercations, exchange of accusations between respective governments, as well as a rise in Chinese military presence in the area.
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.
Zhou Fangyin, a professor of Chinese foreign policy at Guangdong Institute for International Strategies, said the meetings “set a tone” for ASEAN’s future South China Sea policies, and ASEAN’s not taking a position on the arbitration ruling “will be a restraint for Manila”.
Numerous countries make claims to oil and gas reserves in the area, and millions of ordinary people still earn their livelihood from fishing in the South China Sea.
Kerry was also expected to raise with Duterte US concerns about human rights and the rule of law.
China’s claims to the waters overlap those of Asean nations including the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the USA announced support for bilateral talks between China and the Philippines over their territorial dispute.
Dr. John Short, political analyst and Professor of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, told Radio Sputnik that bilateral negotiations between Beijing, Manila and other parties to the dispute will be more effective in the medium- to long-term.
The Joint Communiqué also dealt with other important issues affecting Asean countries, including the prevention of illegal fishing; migrant workers’ protection; human trafficking prevention and counterterrorism.
While the United States is not a claimant in the South China Sea, Kerry said “we do take a strong position in protecting the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of air, sea space (of countries) as defined by the global law”.
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“The China-Japan relations are still vulnerable and unsatisfactory”, Wang told Fumio Kishida, Japan’s minister for foreign affairs.
