In a concluding joint statement, the leaders were expected to issue a mild rebuke to China without referencing it by name or mentioning a recent global arbitration ruling against Beijing.
Advertisement
Southeast Asian leaders speaking at the East Asia Summit on Thursday supported the efforts by China and ASEAN members to implement the DOC.
In July, an global arbitration case brought and won by Manila ruled that China’s building of numerous artificial islands was illegal and its claims to most of the South China Sea had no legal basis.
“Both China and the United States are among the most important partners of ASEAN, and ASEAN does not want to have to choose between those partners”, the secretary general of the bloc, Le Luong Minh, told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.
The ASEAN leaders had also said that their summit “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”.
The mild language in the statement, despite growing frustrations in the region over China’s claims, is even more striking given that the summit included President Barack Obama, whose administration has repeatedly expressed concern over Beijing’s actions in the resource-rich sea. Cambodia, for example, remains firmly in China’s camp, as is Laos to a large extent, preventing any robust statement from the consensus-bound ASEAN group.
During the meeting, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the objective of the ASEAN negotiations is to manage points of difference and resolve discrepancies. The comments come amid China’s muscle flexing in the disputed South China Sea and “emerging regional challenges”.
China was especially successful in swaying the Philippines, which had challenged Beijing’s maritime claims in the South China Sea at an global arbitration tribunal.
Countries in Southeast Asia have realized that the key to solving the South China Sea issue should be in their own hands and they should return to seeking complete and effective implementation of the DOC and solving the issue through dialogue and consultation.
Members of the regional bloc are also looking forward to adopting an ASEAN Plan of Action in Combating Transnational Crime in 10 priority areas: Terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, human trafficking, arms smuggling and sea piracy, money laundering, global economic crime, cybercrime, wildlife and timber trafficking. But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China has not done anything to alter the circumstances surrounding the shoal.
While outlining India’s principled position on the raging issue over the South China Sea, the Prime Minister in his address at the 11th East Asia Summit (EAS) said “the threat or use of force” to resolve would complicate matters affecting peace and stability.
“We should be highly alert against the mischief-making intentions of people who spread such groundless information in such situations”, Hua said.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak (right) is seen having a chat with US President Barack Obama at the Gala Dinner in conjunction with Asean and Related Summits in Laos.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila said there had been no dredging or building at Panatag Shoal and China had maintained a Coast Guard presence there for law enforcement patrols.
Advertisement
The Philippines is concerned that China may plan to turn the shoal into another man-made island.
