Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte sits for the retreat session in the ongoing 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits at the National Convention Center, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016 in Vientiane, Laos.
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President Vladimir Putin himself issued the remarks, telling reporters during this week’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit that he believes China is correct to ignore a decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague that its claims against the Philippines in the region are unfounded. The final version was not immediately released.
Beijing appeared triumphant on Thursday after a regional summit concluded in Laos without adopting a draft statement on the South China Sea disputes.
It also said a Wednesday statement by the 10-member bloc “reflected how Southeast Asian nations have largely moved on from the initial tensions surrounding The Hague tribunal’s ruling and now shifted their focus on ensuring regional stability”.
The United States was ASEAN’s fourth largest trading partner previous year, with total two-way trade at USD212.8 billion and direct investment flow from the United States to ASEAN at USD12.2 billion, making it ASEAN’s third largest source of investment.
But US president Barack Obama responded by warning that Beijing must abide by an worldwide tribunal ruling that China’s sweeping claims to the South China Sea had no legal basis.
She said that China also opposes any attempt by forces outside the region to manipulate the issue or stir up trouble, in an apparent reference to the USA which has termed the verdict of the tribunal as legally binding. Obama said they shook hands but that it was a brief interaction, adding that he’d told Duterte their aides should confer on how the two treaty allies can move forward.
Hua said China hopes for positive, genuine and constructive efforts from the USA to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea region.
“Several leaders remained seriously concerned over recent developments in the South China Sea”, says the draft.
China has recently developed shoals and coral reefs into seven islands with massive land reclamation work.
Obama brought the issue back on the agenda after attempts by other leaders at the summit to sweep the issue under the carpet.
In their speeches delivered at the summit, leaders of the ASEAN countries acknowledged the efforts made by China and the ASEAN members in implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and promoting the discussion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC).
US officials, however, said that there were other critical elements in the ASEAN statement that China failed to block, and which amounted to a strong diplomatic rebuke of Beijing.
It is only natural, however, for Japan, one of the countries most dependent on overseas trade, to be alarmed by China’s apparent desire to achieve hegemony in the South China Sea, home to vital trade routes. Cambodia did however block an explicit mention of the tribunal’s ruling, which the Philippines was willing to concede, the official said.
“It seems that every country played down the level of conflict, therefore the tone of the meeting was quite friendly and emphasized peace and security within the region”, said Maj. Certainly, matters concerning the South China Sea will become the focus of the global community.
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China claims almost all of the sea, through which $5 trillion in shipping trade passes annually, even waters approaching the coasts of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.
