“There is recognition of the importance of the worldwide arbitrational ruling in July, which is legal and binding and which clarified maritime claims by the Philippines and China in the South China Sea“, Obama said during a press conference at the end of the ASEAN Summit in Laos on Thursday.
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However, in a statement later from China’s foreign ministry, Li was paraphrased as saying China was willing to work with Southeast Asian countries in “dispelling interference. and properly handling the South China Sea issue”.
China and Southeast Asian nations have been discussing the hotline since 2015.
At the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit being held between September 6 and 8, Obama called the results of an worldwide arbitration that denied Beijing’s “historic claims” to the South China Sea, “binding”, and promised more diplomatic and economic cooperation in the region, Voice of America (VOA) reported on September 8.
Beijing claims 90 per cent of the South China Sea, a maritime region believed to hold a wealth of untapped oil and gas reserves and through which roughly $4.5 trillion of ship-borne trade passes every year.
Obama assured ASEAN leaders that the USA would continue to help ensure the peaceful resolution of their territorial disputes.
The US leader also reiterated during the summit that China could no longer ignore that the United Nations-backed court’s ruling is “binding” and “helped to clarify maritime rights in the region”.
China shot back with comments aimed at the US.
Officials said talks between South-east Asian leaders and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the summit went smoothly, but there was no reference to the tribunal’s ruling.
The Chinese government has “tipped its hat” to the Russian government for its stand on the South China Sea, stated Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.
Li did not elaborate much on this, but such wording is typically used by Chinese leaders “to refer to not allowing countries from outside the region with no direct involvement in the dispute, like the United States, from getting involved”.
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”.
“Several Leaders remained seriously concerned over recent developments in the South China Sea”.
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The issue of ownership of territories in the South China Sea has come to dominate ASEAN summits in recent years.
