ASEAN Avoids Assertive Joint Statement on Beijing's South China Sea Claims

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) released a delayed joint statement on Monday that urged nations in the region to exercise self-restraint without making direct reference to their territorial row with China.

VIENTIANE (Sputnik) — The communique by ten foreign ministers was expected on Sunday, but local media reported that the nations were split over Beijing’s claims to most of the South China Sea.

In the end, the ministers agreed a mildly-worded statement that reaffirmed their commitment to "resolve their territorial and jurisdictional disputes <…> through friendly consultations."

They said they would exercise "self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes," including refraining from inhabiting the presently uninhabited reefs and islands of the South China Sea.

"The Parties encourage other countries to respect the principles contained in the DOC [Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea]," the statement stressed.

A consensus was required for the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to condemn China, which has strong ties with several of them.

The statement came two weeks after a UN tribunal ruling rejected Beijing’s sovereignty claims to more than 90 percent of the South China Sea, a vital international waterway through which more than half of global commercial shipping passes.