China has built several artificial islands on other reefs, including military bases, in order to exert its claims over almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea.
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Asian leaders have played down tensions over the South China Sea in a carefully worded summit statement In Vientiane, Laos.
China has confidence that it can work with the Philippines to return to a healthy relationship, Beijing’s vice foreign minister said on Wednesday, after the two countries locked horns over a recent arbitral ruling on the South China Sea. “We stressed the importance of the full and effective implementation of the DOC in its entirety”, read the document.
Abe referred to Japan’s position of making and clarifying claims based on worldwide law, not using force or coercion in trying to drive their claims, and seeking to settle disputes by peaceful means – a set of three principles that Japan, the US and five other major industrialized nations affirmed during a Group of Seven summit that Abe hosted in May.
The South China Sea dispute was tackled at the closed-door meeting with some of the leaders, including Duterte, who reiterated calls for the conflicts to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with global law, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkei reported that Abe expressed deep concern about China’s “continued attempts to unilaterally change the status quo in the South and East China seas over the past few months” and warned Southeast Asian leaders against taking too conciliatory a stance towards Beijing.
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”. Manila says China’s blockade of the shoal is a violation of global law.
USA officials, however, said there were other critical elements in the ASEAN statement that China failed to block, and which they said amounted to a strong diplomatic rebuke of Beijing.
Besides the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan oppose China’s claims and have counter-claims.
Hours before the meeting, however, the Philippines’ defence ministry released photographs and a map showing what it said was an increased number of Chinese vessels near Scarborough Shoal, which China seized after a standoff in 2012.
“The CUEC can avoid any undesired incidents from occurring in the South China Sea”, he said.
Mr Turnbull said he had had a favourable response to his offer on Wednesday night to host an ASEAN summit in Australia in 2018 to help maintain peace and stability in the region. China has rejected the decision questioning the legality of the tribunal.
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.
The U.S. also believes that the Chinese naval presence near Scarborough Shoal has remained relatively the same over the past few months, but will continue to monitor the area and stay in touch with the Philippine government, a senior White House official told VOA. But Beijing vowed to ignore the ruling.
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The Prime Minister also held a bilateral meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, to discuss issues of common interest.
