On July 12, the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled against China’s historic claims in South China Sea, backing a case brought in by the Philippines in 2013.
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“Some think China will now spend the period after the G20 and before the United States election building there, though that would be a huge provocation and unlikely in my view”.
In backing the Chinese position, Putin also says any intervention by countries outside the region will only interrupt the steps needed to solve disputes in the South China Sea.
Obama’s remarks came amid allegations by the Philippine government that China was again engaged in reclamation activities in Panatag Shoal, located well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, after a flotilla of sea vessels was spotted in the area.
On Facebook, Dureza explained on Thursday, September 8, that Duterte and Li “had a chat” on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Vientiane, Laos.
In a statement released later on Wednesday by China’s Foreign Ministry, Mr Li was paraphrased as saying China was willing to work with Asean countries in “dispelling interference. and properly handling the South China Sea issue”.
Other claimants in the disputed waterway are the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei – all part of the 10-member Asean bloc meeting in Laos – plus Taiwan. However, China has said that it does not recognize the ruling.
According to the Guardian, although the ministry did not elaborate, such wording is typically used by Chinese leaders for countries outside the region to be directly involved in the dispute.
The United States has been a staunch ally of the Philippines and China has repeatedly blamed Washington for stirring up trouble in the South China Sea.
The Yomiuri ShimbunEnsuring freedom of navigation, not allowing attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo and seeking to resolve disputes in line with global law – we want to see such a rule of law established in the South China Sea.
An artificial island at Scarborough Shoal could be a game changer in China’s quest to control the sea and raises the risk of armed confrontation with the USA, according to security analysts.
However, intensive Chinese lobbying helped to ensure there was no mention of the July ruling in the ASEAN statement.
But, he added, China is firmly opposed to countries outside the region meddling after seeing regional nations make progress.
ASEAN will hold a separate summit later Thursday with other world powers, including China and the US.
On Wednesday, Asean and China agreed on confidence-building measures to reduce tensions in the South China Sea.
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China claims much of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion worth of trade moves each year.
