The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea is “absolutely critical”.
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Short said that the United States has involved itself in the dispute to enforce its notion of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, and believes that as the world’s only superpower, it is better equipped to counter China than ASEAN.
China “hopes the United States side takes actual steps to support the resumption of talks between China and the Philippines, and support the efforts of China and ASEAN to maintain regional peace and stability”, Wang said, according to a foreign ministry statement released on Tuesday.
Zhou Fangyin, a professor of Chinese foreign policy at Guangdong Institute for International Strategies, said the meetings “set a tone” for ASEAN’s future South China Sea policies, and ASEAN’s not taking a position on the arbitration ruling “will be a restraint for Manila”.
The Philippines and Vietnam both wanted the ruling, which denied China’s sweeping claims in the strategic seaway that channels more than $5 trillion in global trade each year, and a call to respect worldwide maritime law to feature in the communique. It was as much a diplomatic win for China as Asean.
Kishida and Wang agreed to continue talks for the early implementation of a mechanism to reduce the likelihood of unforeseen clashes between the countries’ vessels, the official said.
China’s reclamation work in the region has prompted the USA and its allies to express alarm over the maritime expansion, which they suspect is aimed at extending its military reach. “The arbitral award is a matter between China and the Philippines”.
Yasay was speaking after returning from a meeting of foreign ministers in Laos, during which ASEAN dropped a U.S.-backed proposal to mention the landmark July 12 court ruling, which nullified Beijing’s claims to most of the South China Sea.
“All means. So you can count (international arbitration) but we attach importance to bilateral negotiations“, he said in the interview on the sidelines of a regional security meeting being hosted by Laos.
Kerry later met with President Rodrigo Duterte to discuss the possibility of a dialogue with China to resolve tensions over the disputed seas.
The case was brought by a fellow South China Sea claimant, the Philippines.
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.
On Tuesday, the Philippine Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the so-called Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) which allows for a rotation of USA troops on Philippine bases and other enhanced military cooperation.
Since he took office, police reported over 200 deaths while media tallies have said more than 300 have died, including suspected extrajudicial killings.
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“It has chosen instead to ratchet up the pressure on those states [such as Cambodia and Laos] that are effectively beholden to China and it seriously undermines the future of ASEAN”.
