In Vientiane, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for an end to the “political manipulation and sensationalisation” of the South China Sea and reiterated a desire for the USA to help support a return to direct bilateral negotiations between Beijing and Manila.
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The three ministers, who met in Laos’ capital city on Monday, defended freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea and criticized the construction of outposts and their use for military purposes in the area.
Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay made the statement as he met with his USA counterpart, Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss a full range of bilateral relations between Manila and Washington at the Department of Foreign Affairs office in Pasay City. “Now is the time we will test whether you are protectors of peace or agitators”.
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”.
Meanwhile, the U.S. -ASEAN foreign ministers meeting was held Monday evening.
Ruling on a case brought by the Philippines, the PCA found “no legal basis” for China’s claim to historical and economic rights over nearly all of the South China Sea.
It was “not a China-ASEAN issue”, he said, adding that disputes should be resolved among the parties involved.
“I am just saying this to dispel the reports that have been said that China came out victorious in the ASEAN meeting because we precisely agreed to not mentioning the arbitral award”, Yasay told a news conference.
The document says the arbitral tribunal has no jurisdiction over related submissions, and awards rendered by it are null and void and have no binding force.
The top USA diplomat said China indicated its willingness and readiness to engage in bilateral negotiation with the Philippines on Tuesday, a day after Kerry met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
“That was not the object of our meeting”, he added, referring to the United Nations maritime treaty that was the basis of the arbitration ruling.
China frequently blames the United States for raising tensions in the region and has warned regional rival Japan to steer clear of the dispute.
On Tuesday, Kerry said he would urge the Philippines to continue talks with China regarding the sea.
China has refused to accept the July 12 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, based in The Hague, in which Manila won an emphatic legal victory. He wrapped up his brief public remarks to that meeting by noting “how much can be accomplished when we work together, invest in the future, and perhaps most importantly support the rules-based system that has led to steadily increased peace and prosperity for almost 50 years now”. Their meeting took place as President Barack Obama’s national security adviser Susan Rice was visiting Beijing to cover some of the same issues. In response to the ruling, Beijing said it made no difference to its rights to the sea and its resources.
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“Now is the time for Manila to translate its words into action and start to fix its traumatized relations with China”, it said in a commentary.
