Kerry said at a news conference that the U.S.is not taking sides on the substance of maritime disputes from countries such as the Philippines, which took the case to the tribunal in The Hague, but believes “rule of law must be upheld”.
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Rice is the most senior USA official to visit the capital since an global tribunal this month rejected China’s vast territorial claims in the South China Sea – infuriating Beijing and fuelling tensions with Washington.
China claims most of the sea, but ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have rival claims.
While the PCA ruling is only binding between Beijing and Manila, it does, however, set a legal foundation by determining that the rules of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea take precedence over China’s historic claims.
But ASEAN became divided because of China’s divide-and-rule diplomacy by winning support from Cambodia, and to some extent Laos, which resulted in the grouping issuing a joint statement on South China Sea that did not mention China by name or the arbitration ruling.
It was thought ASEAN could capitalize on the ruling to further contest Chinese claims.
But before the meeting, China’s closest ASEAN ally Cambodia opposed the proposed wording, throwing the group into disarray.
Washington says it takes no position on the territorial disputes but argues for free sea and air passage through what it considers worldwide waters.
In response during their meeting Monday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated China’s position on the issue, the official said. ASEAN’s guiding principle is to make all statements by consensus, so a veto by Cambodia would have prevented a more stinging rebuke.
Affirming the APT’s role in promoting East Asia integration, the ASEAN ministers expected China, Japan and South Korea to increase inputs and share their experience and expertise with a view to helping ASEAN nations narrow their development gap and realizing common prosperity.
“It’s unmistakable and unambiguous… no one is in any doubt it’s what we’re referring to”, said Balakrishnan. “It is the same story again, a repeat of the meeting in 2012”. She did not discuss the topic with President Xi Jinping when they met, the official said.
Instead, Asean, gathered in the Laos capital Vientiane for the first time since the ruling, called for “self-restraint” from all parties in the strategic waterway in a soft statement that edged away from a showdown with regional powerhouse China.
In a separate statement, China and ASEAN reaffirmed a commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea and said they would refrain from activities that would complicate or escalate disputes. For Beijing’s leaders, control of the South China Sea is a critical show of resolve.
The former Philippine government, headed by Benigno Aquino III, unilaterally initiated the South China Sea arbitration in 2013.
The United States is considering ways to increase counter-terrorism cooperation with China, according to a senior USA administration official.
“They (ASEAN) should in particular guard against the intervention in regional cooperation by big powers outside the region”, he said according to the Xinhua news agency.
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Besides holding talks on various bilateral issues, the visit of the the American national security advisor is also focussed on President Barack Obama’s visit Chinese city of Hangzhou in September to take part in G20 summit.
