Most Asean countries ‘want to stay out of Beijing’s South China Sea dispute with the Philippines’
Southeast Asian bloc left out mention of international court ruling as Manila was the sole party who wanted it included, says diplomat
Most Asean countries want to stay out of the South China Sea dispute between China and the Philippines, says a diplomat with inside knowledge about the negotiations that went on before the bloc issued a joint statement on the matter this week.
The Philippines had pushed to include this month’s international court ruling on the South China Sea in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ joint statement, the diplomat said, but the communique released on Monday left it out in the end.
No one but the Philippines insisted that the arbitral ruling be included, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.
He said most countries in the bloc, especially those who had no claims in the South China Sea, wished to stay out of the dispute.
The Asean statement carried a section on the contested waters, expressing serious concern over land reclamations and “escalations of activities” in the region, but did not directly challenge China nor mention the ruling.
The bloc had, during a meeting in Laos, been deadlocked over the language of the initial statement and whether to mention the ruling handed down by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague on July 12. The court had ruled in the Philippines’ favour, declaring China’s claims to the contested South China Sea invalid.