Kerry, China Fm Talk South China Sea Dispute At Asean

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry discussed ongoing tensions in the disputed South China Sea with his Chinese counterpart Wednesday, calling for extensive territorial claims to be pulled back.



Kerry and Foreign Minister Wang Yi addressed the recent diplomatic clashes over reported land reclamation projects on the region's islands and reefs on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting in Kuala Lumpur.



After the meeting, Kerry said he had proposed negotiated settlements between China and ASEAN members -- including the Philippines and Vietnam -- to resolve the ongoing territorial disputes.



China claims almost the entire resource-rich Sea, while overlapping territorial maritime claims involve ASEAN members the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei.



"We want to ensure the security of critical sea lanes and fishing grounds and to see that disputes in the area are managed peacefully and on the basis of international law," Kerry said in his opening remarks at the U.S.-ASEAN session Wednesday.



"The U.S. shares the desire of ASEAN members to preserve the peace and stability of the South China Sea," he added. "I hope very much that at this meeting over the course of today and tomorrow, we will find a way to move forward, effectively for all of us."



On Tuesday, Wang had expressed hope that ASEAN would not practice "double standards" in its handling of suspected land reclamation in the South China Sea, but would come up with more constructive discussions on the territorial claim issue.



"I hope there is no double standard, as it is not beneficial to any party," he said, adding that continuous smearing and criticism by claimants would not help in finding solution to the long-standing problem.



Speaking at a separate press conference the same day, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said the ministerial meeting had deliberated on ways to address erosion of trust and confidence amongst parties amid land reclamations and the escalation of tensions in the area.



Aman said that all 10 ASEAN ministers had urged senior officials to intensify consultations so that the Code of Conduct (CoC) - a set of rules that would put in place mechanisms to avoid conflict  - could be established as soon as possible.



He added that ministers had noted progress on consultations towards the establishment of the CoC, in particular an agreement between ASEAN and China to proceed to the next stage of negotiation and discuss the framework, structure and elements of the proposed code.



"We agreed that exercising self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate tension must be enhanced," he said. "We emphasized the importance of full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, in its entirety," he added.



ASEAN and China inked the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in 2002 and had agreed to draw up the CoC as a guideline to avoid any friction or conflict in the area. - Kuala Lumpur