VIENTIANE, Laos: Despite Cambodia’s efforts to keep the feuds over the South China Sea off the agenda for the ASEAN meetings, Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. praised a recent international arbitration decision on the disputes, but stopped short of calling for Chinese compliance with the landmark ruling.
“The decision has provided a solid legal foundation on which a rules-based approach for resolving disputes in the South China Sea can be built,” Yasay said he told his ASEAN counterparts, adding the ruling__ that says China’s claim over the entire South China Sea, is illegal __ is “final and binding to all parties concerned, is a clearly established fact” and that it has “significant implications for the entire region, not just the coastal states bordering the South China Sea.”
An ASEAN statement, Yasay said, backing the legal and diplomatic processes being pursued by the Philippines will not only reflect ASEAN respect for a rules-based order, but also reaffirm ASEAN’s “centrality and solidarity in the regional security architecture.”
(Sourced from agencies, Feature image courtesy:AP)
