AFTER a day of discussions on economic issues and trade, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) switched gears on Tuesday, Feb. 16, by working toward reaching a common stance on territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
“The United States and ASEAN are reaffirming our strong commitment to a regional order where international rules and norms and the rights of all nations, large and small, are upheld,” US President Barack Obama said at the end of the summit, according to Reuters.
“We discussed the need for tangible steps in the South China Sea to lower tensions including a halt to further reclamation, new construction and militarization of disputed areas,” the president said.
Washington and ASEAN members agreed that territorial disputes in the region should be resolved peacefully and through legal means, according to Reuters. However, both parties did not reach a common stance on the conflict.
In a joint statement, the US and ASEAN restated principles of cooperation between the two, such as “mutual respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, equality and political independence of all nations … and a shared commitment to peaceful resolution of disputes.”
The Philippines is among nations with claims at stake, along with others including Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.
On Tuesday, Vietnam’s prime minister called on the US for a greater role in island-building and preventing militarization in the Sea, the government said, according to Reuters.
Premier Nguyen Tan Dung on Monday, suggested that the US uses a stronger voice and “more practical and more efficient actions,” Reuters reported.
But some ASEAN members, including Cambodia and Laos, have close economic ties to China.
China has accused the United States of looking for maritime hegemony in Asia.
“The United States is not and will never be a spokesman for an independent organization like ASEAN on any issue. It is time for sober-minded ASEAN nations to distance themselves from U.S. interference,” read a report by Chinese news agency Xinhua.
“It is China’s unswerving stance that the disputes over the South China Sea should be settled through direct one-on-one negotiations and consultations between China and the countries concerned,” according to the same report by the agency.
However, Washington claims its interest in the disputed region is preserving freedom of navigation, Reuters reported.
Freedom of navigation “must be upheld, and unlawful commerce should not be impeded,” Obama said, adding that the US would “continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and … support the right of all countries to do the same.”