Instead, the nations adopted a statement expressing concern about developments in the waters that made no mention of a landmark July 12 global arbitration panel ruling in a dispute between the Philippines and China that said Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea were illegal.
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Which is why, he said, “in Vientiane, and now, the USA urges all claimants in the South China Sea to exercise full restraint”.
Southeast Asian nations ducked direct criticism of Beijing over its claims to the South China Sea, in a diluted statement produced after days of disagreement that gives the superpower a diplomatic victory.
They expressed “strong support for the rule of law” and called on Beijing and Manila to abide by the July 12 ruling, describing it as “final and legally binding on both parties”. It leaned on Cambodia and other close allies to prevent ASEAN from making a critical statement, saying the disputes should be handled in one-on-one negotiations and not by the regional bloc. If not, it would be the second time the group has been unable to send out a statement in its 49-year existence.
“States only comply with worldwide law when it serves their interests”, Muhamad Arif, researcher at the Habibie Center think-tank, said on Tuesday during a discussion organized by the center in Jakarta.
Yasay said he and Kerry discussed Philippine plans to negotiate with China. But he conceded an earlier proposal for the communique referred to the court’s decision.
In the context of Asean-China relations, Retno said that foreign ministers from Asean member countries and China have also released a joint statement agreeing on the implementation of the Declaration of Conduct in solving the South China Sea dispute. That included inhabiting any presently uninhabited islands or reefs, it added. He added that it was time for the U.S.to “move away from public tensions and turn the page” over the disputes and handle conflicts with peace and diplomacy.
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”.
Beijing blames the United States military presence in the region for stoking tensions, and protesters also want American troops out.
Cambodia’s foreign ministry spokesman, Chum Sounry, said it was Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr who withdrew his own request for a mention of this tribunal ruling in the joint communiqué.
The communique referred instead to the need to find peaceful resolutions to disputes in the South China Sea in accordance with global law, including the United Nations’ law of the sea.
He also demanded that Japan be careful of what it says about South China Sea matters, calling for Tokyo not to repeat mistakes, according to China News Service, a news agency.
“The case we filed before the arbitral tribunal, with respect towards our dispute with China, concerns China and the Philippines alone”.
“The Filipino foreign minister himself made a decision to remove (it) and not to mention the ruling”, Chum Sounry said.
Kerry arrived in Laos on Monday for the ASEAN regional forum and East Asia summits.
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“It’s legally binding and it’s obviously a decision of the court that is recognized under global law”, Kerry said.
