ASEAN issues statement

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has issued a statement that summarizes the agreements at last week’s foreign ministers’ talks in Phnom Penh.
Last week’s meeting failed to issue a joint communique for the first time in ASEAN’s 45-year history. This delay was due to differences between the chair country, Cambodia, and other nations such as the Philippines and Vietnam.
Cambodia has close economic ties with China, while the Philippines and Vietnam are locked in territorial disputes with China over islands in the South China Sea.
After talks in Phnom Penh, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong announced a 6-point statement on Friday.The statement calls for peaceful solutions to conflicts, while respecting international law and the non-use of force.
Friday's statement was an official response to the South China Sea issue after the ASEAN failed to reach a joint communique at the just-concluded foreign minister's meeting in Phnom Penh.
The statement covers the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), the need for an early conclusion of a regional code of conduct, the full respect for the universally recognized principles of international law, the continued exercise of self restraint and non-use of force by all parties, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.P On the issue of South China Sea as well as other international disputes.ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

ASEAN's statement on the South China Sea on Friday" Hong said, that the core problem of the South China Sea was the disputes over the sovereignty of the Nansha islands and the demarcation of the islands' adjacent waters."China has sufficient historical and jurisprudential evidence for its sovereignty over the Nansha islands and the adjacent waters," he added. Hong said China is open to consultations with the ASEAN on the conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea."(We) hope that all the parties will strictly abide by the DOC and create necessary conditions and atmosphere for the consultations," he said.

As a signatory to the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), China attaches importance to safeguarding the principles and mission of the Convention, said the spokesman.
Hong said UNCLOS is aimed to establish a legal order for the seas and oceans "with due regard for the sovereignty of all States," and it does neither serve as an international treaty to address disputes over territorial sovereignty between states nor as evidence used to judge over the disputes.The countries concerned should address the disputes over the maritime demarcation in the South China Sea, after the land disputes have been resolved, in accordance with historical facts and all international laws including UNCLOS, he added.

"China attaches importance to its ties with the ASEAN," Hong said, adding the country is committed to promoting friendly neighborhood and reciprocal cooperation with the ASEAN to push ahead with the cooperation in East Asia with joint efforts.

But it only confirms basic principles and does not include any examples.

Media agencies