There was no mention of China’s island building in the South China Sea in the ending statement of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit because no leader insisted on the matter, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday.
There was no mention of China’s island building in the South China Sea in the ending statement of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit because no leader insisted on the matter, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday.
Zaldy Patron, executive director of the DFA’s Office of the Asean Affairs, also said China had nothing to do with the statement which was free of any reference to its land reclamation and militarization activities in the disputed waters.
“We want to reflect as much as possible the discussion [of the leaders] as accurately as possible and there was no one who strongly pushed or mentioned anything about land reclamation and militarization, ” Patron said in a media briefing at Malacañang.
“On the other hand, the leaders highlighted the improving relations between Asean and China and the need to conclude the framework for the code of conduct, ” he said.
Patron pointed out that even during last year’s summit in Laos, there was no consensus to mention China’s activities in the South China Sea in Asean statements.
