Mr. Sounry said he considered accusations that Cambodia’s stance on the South China Sea – that disputes in its regard should be resolved peacefully only between the parties involved – in return for aid and investment from China was an insult.
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In Manila Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with senior Philippine officials, including new Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.
While the Asean foreign ministers did not include the arbitration ruling in their statement, it can not be considered as a diplomatic win for China, Yasay said.
The duo also discussed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, a pact legally affirmed by the Supreme Court on Tuesday – the day Kerry arrived in the Philippines – that would, among other things, give US troops and equipment wide access to Philippine military bases on a rotational basis.
The three countries issued the statement late on Monday at the conclusion of the trilateral strategic dialogue held between Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and her United States counterpart John Kerry and Japan’s Fumio Kishida, on the sidelines of a South-east Asian regional security conference in Vientiane, Laos.
Wang said Wednesday, “regional countries resist choosing sides on the arbitration case, believing that it is a bilateral issue between China and the Philippines, on the other hand, the trilateral statement asserts that the so-called ruling which is highly contentious is binding”.
But an absence of a reference to the court decision in the ASEAN statement dealt a blow to Japanese diplomacy.
In meetings with Yang and Fan, Rice said all countries should “avoid taking actions that raise tensions and could raise the risks of miscalculation” in the South China Sea, said the official, who wasn’t authorized to comment publicly. “We are trying to create a solution mindful of the rights of people established under the law”, Mr Kerry said, adding that the USA wanted China and the Philippines to engage in talks and “confidence-building measures”.
Kerry, however stressed that the USA takes a strong position in supporting the rule of law, as well as on protecting rights and freedoms of nations to freedom of navigation and use of air and sea space. China has described such operations as “heavy-handed intervention” in the South China Sea.
It sends out a positive message that China and the ASEAN will jointly maintain stability in the South China Sea, Wang said.
Previously, China asked the Philippines to resume bilateral negotiations on the disputed territory, as long as they first officially ignored the Hague ruling. “And we agree with that… no claimant should be acting in a way that is provocative, no claimant should take steps that wind up raising tensions”, Kerry was quoted as saying by GMA News.
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Even if the ministers did not mention the outcome of the case, they “had in mind the disputes in the South China Sea”, he insisted.
