Yasay was speaking after returning from a meeting of foreign ministers in Laos, during which ASEAN dropped a US-backed proposal to mention the landmark July 12 court ruling, which nullified Beijing’s claims to most of the South China Sea.
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Along with the United States, Japan has been trying to establish an worldwide coalition to call on China to respect the court of arbitration ruling by cooperating with countries that respect the rule of law and global order.
The South China Sea is a highly-contested region through which almost $5 trillion in worldwide trade passes annually.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay leaves a meeting of the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Vientiane, Laos July 26, 2016.
During his time in the Laotian capital, Kerry also met with Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida, and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, for the sixth ministerial meeting of the so-called Trilateral Strategic Dialogue (TSD).
On the one hand, regional countries resist taking sides on the arbitration case, believing that it is a bilateral issue between China and the Philippines.
During the meeting in Vientiane, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi asked Kerry to lend his support for bilateral talks to restart between Manila and Beijing.
China on Wednesday urged Japan, the United States and Australia to view and deal with the South China Sea issue in a right attitude.
“We hope to learn more from President Duterte about his thinking in connection with protecting human rights, civil rights, and maintaining the rule of law in law enforcement”, the official added.
The failure by ASEAN to take a position or mention the arbitration had no impact on the validity of the court decision, Kerry added.
Mr Kerry said he saw the statement as a diplomatic tack meant to push forward talks to resolve disputes over the South China Sea.
According to Reuters, a top official from Philippine Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that newly elected President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed former President Fidel Ramos to visit China and start informal talks over the maritime dispute.
Thomas Mensah, jurist and diplomat from Ghana, stood up to China while presiding over the tribunal’s arbitration.
While the United States is not a claimant in the South China Sea, Kerry said “we do take a strong position in protecting the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of air, sea space (of countries) as defined by the worldwide law”.
“This could include China toning down if not curtailing the heavy-handed behavior of its coast guard, and China exerting greater control over its rapacious fishermen”, said Carlyle Thayer, emeritus professor at the Australian Defense Force Academy.
Rice also told Chinese officials, who included a top military officer, that US military operations were created to contribute to peace and stability wherever they happened, including in the South China Sea, the official said.
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The fact that Asean issued a statement was a success because it covered “every single value of the rule of law”, he said.
