United States State Secretary John Kerry supported on Wednesday the joint communiqué issued by Southeast Asian nations that has been criticized for failing to mention the arbitral tribunal’s decision favorable to the Philippines over its claims against China.
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Kerry made the remarks after meeting with Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay in Manila where they discussed the Southeast Asian nation’s sweeping victory in the arbitration case against China.
At a briefing following his talks with Yasay, Kerry praised the “very responsible and measured way” with which the Philippines has responded to the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the case it brought against China’s claims over the South China Sea.
The 10-member regional bloc only expressed serious concern over recent developments in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) that have “eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region”.
I am just saying this to dispel the reports that have been said that China came out victorious in the ASEAN meeting because we precisely agreed to not mentioning the arbitral award.
Kerry, who arrived in Manila on Tuesday after attending a regional summit in Laos, met with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Cambodia’s position was the right one and would safeguard unity of ASEAN and cooperation with China, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon, according to a statement posted on China’s Foreign Ministry website early on Monday.
Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have claims to the South China Sea, a vital waterway through which US$5 trillion in annual trade passes.
“So we still have a task ahead of us, a challenge, which is to try to work going forward to make sure that we are resolving the issues through diplomacy and the rule of law”, he said. Since its loss in the PCA ruling on the South Korea Sea, China has repeatedly stated that it does not plan to comply with the verdict, which it has called “waste paper”.
“It’s legally binding and it’s obviously a decision of the court that is recognised under global law and it has to be part of the calculation”, he said.
Yasay on Wednesday, July 27, confirmed that he “vigorously” pushed to include the Hague ruling in the ASEAN joint communiqué.
The Chinese Foreign Minister also warned against efforts to “divide relations between China and ASEAN”.
When meeting with Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak, whose country now holds the rotating European Union (EU) Council presidency, Monday in the Lao capital, Wang said China and the ASEAN members have reached consensus on returning to the right track of dialogue and consultation between countries directly involved in the maritime disputes with a “dual-track” approach.
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“It seems like certain countries from outside the region have got all worked up, keeping the fever high”, Wang told reporters.
