A UN-backed tribunal ruled in July that China’s claims to most of the sea had no legal basis and that its construction of artificial islands in the disputed waters was illegal.
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They said, “While Singapore did not have any claims to the region but there were certain things that were pertinent to them and that is number one, rule of law in matters of settling disputes and freedom of navigation considering that particular area is important to Singapore in terms of global trade”.
Southeast Asian leaders have softened their stance on China’s territorial claims in the South China, handing Beijing a diplomatic victory.
On Thursday, Liu said that “it is not appropriate for some countries outside the region to push the so-called South China Sea “arbitration” at the East Asia Summit”.
The verdict by an worldwide tribunal in The Hague said China’s claims to most of the waters – through which $5 trillion in global shipping trade passes annually – had no legal basis. Beijing refused to acknowledge the ruling.
“We moved past that (arbitration) issue during the July China-ASEAN foreign ministers meeting, we hope that such countries won’t keep bringing up things of the past to stir up trouble and affect China-ASEAN relations”.
Peace and stability in the South China Sea was directly related to prosperity and development of countries in the region, he said.
Predictably, China said it would not respect the ruling it has previously described as waste paper.
Together, they are meeting in the East Asia Summit in the Laotian capital.
Obama spoke of the ruling, according to Thai government spokesman Werachon Sukhondhapatipak, at a summit with leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, at which he also said the maritime disputes should be resolved peacefully through diplomacy.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made headlines earlier in the summit with a phrase directed at a journalist, which roughly translates to “son of a whore”, often used in the same manner as “crap”, which was misinterpreted as a “personal attack” on Obama.
The prime minister told reporters leaders had also responded positively to an offer he made at a dinner on Wednesday night to host an Asean summit in Australia in 2018.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had said he did not want to anger China by highlighting the row at the summit.
Russian Federation supports China’s stance on the South China Sea issue and opposes any third party interference, Putin told a news conference after the G20 summit in China.
While we are concerned about the lack of a clear time frame for the process, we are nevertheless eager to see both sides make serious efforts to put the agreement into action.
Larry is our main news editor.
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It said ASEAN “took note of the concerns expressed by some leaders on the land reclamations and escalation of activities in the area, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region”.
