China claims nearly all of the South China Sea while there are overlapping claims from Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei.
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China maintains that nearly all the South China Sea has been its territory “since historic occasions”, and considers its island-building a sovereign proper.
Mr Wang told US Secretary of State John Kerry that “countries that are not in the region should respect the efforts made by China and Asean nations, ” in an apparent swipe at the US.
“The initiatives suggested by China have received wide and positive response from the ten ASEAN members”.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, at the start of a meeting with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said the 10-member regional grouping must play a role to ensure an amicable settlement in the dispute over the resource-rich and busy waterway.
Wang Yi told reporters on the sidelines of ASEAN’s 48th Foreign Ministerial Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday that he was hoping ASEAN would come up with more constructive discussions on the territorial claim issue.
Philippines Foreign Minister Albert Del Rosario accused China of carrying out “massive reclamation activities” in the disputed waters.
“At the same time, China announced they are moving on to Phase 2, which is construction of facilities on the reclaimed features”.
Wang said China is ready to step up cooperation with the US in the fields of investment, military, climate change, finance, economy and trade, energy, hunt of corrupt officials, justice and public health.
ASEAN and China inked the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in 2002 and had agreed to draw up the CoC as a guideline to avoid any friction or conflict in the area.
He also stressed that regional cooperation and dialogue are essential and more effective at dealing with issues of global magnitude.
Southeast Asian countries on Tuesday backed a US call to halt land reclamation in the South China Sea, underlining unease in the region over Beijing’s continued expansion on disputed islands.
Washington has said it would call for a halt to aggressive actions by China and other rival nations to allow a diplomatic solution to a problem that threatens regional stability.
Satellite tv for pc pictures present that China has begun constructing piers, helipads and airstrips on the islands, which might considerably bolster its army and surveillance capabilities within the space.
China has reportedly established military installations on some of these islands, including an air strip long enough to accommodate every aircraft of the Chinese air force.
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China rejects any U.S. involvement and insists it has the right to continue the reclamation projects. Some foreign ministers, including from host Malaysia, said it was too important to ignore.
