Philippine Foreign Minister: 'China did not win at ASEAN conference'

The Philippines asserted that although the ASEAN joint statement did not mention the "nine-dash line" ruling, that did not mean China had won a diplomatic victory.

Philippine Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay. Photo: Reuters

The Philippines is not seeking support from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) or the international community in its case against China over the South China Sea, and does not want to push the issue, risk dividing the group or provoking China, Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said today after returning from the 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) in Laos, according to Reuters.

At the AMM, ASEAN issued a joint statement but did not mention the ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal on July 12. The Tribunal concluded that China has no legal basis to claim historic rights to resources within its unilaterally drawn “nine-dash line” claim, which covers most of the East Sea.

"I say this to refute reports that China won the ASEAN meeting because we agreed not to mention the court ruling," Yasay stressed.

"But that (the lawsuit) is not the purpose of our meeting at ASEAN. The court's ruling is a matter between China and the Philippines," he said.

Speaking at a press conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Mr. Yasay said there were no losers in Laos and that ASEAN's issuance of a joint communique was a victory for the bloc.

“That makes ASEAN more credible to the international community and makes the bloc appear a more effective regional grouping,” he commented.

US Secretary of State Kerry said that ASEAN's failure to take a position or refer to the ruling did not affect the validity of the court's decision. He stressed that the court's ruling was legally binding on the parties involved.

At the 49th AMM, ASEAN issued a joint statement that did not directly mention China or the "nine-dash line" ruling, but expressed concern about developments in the East Sea. The joint statement also called on parties to respect legal and diplomatic processes, in accordance with widely recognized principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

According to VNE