Efforts to water down ASEAN SCS statement appreciated by China
‘Thank you, Cambodia’
HOURS before ASEAN foreign ministers released a long-negotiated, but ultimately watered down communiqué on the contentious South China Sea, China’s foreign min- ister singled out Cambodia for praise for holding out against a push for a stronger statement.
Significantly absent was any mention of the recent verdict at The Hague, which nullified the majority of China’s claims, which lie in conflict with four ASEAN members.
“China highly appreciates Cambodia and other ASEAN countries taking charge of impartiality and safeguarding impartiality,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a statement. “History will prove that the Cambodian side’s maintained position is correct.”
Wang went on to take a jab at an “external force” that was looking to stoke the issue – a thinly veiled reference to the US, which has pushed the Asian behemoth to honour the arbitration ruling.
“We will not permit any external force to seek to exploit and hype up the so-called South China Sea arbitration case and bring chaos to this region,” Wang said.
ASEAN’s diluted statement, released yesterday morning at a meeting of foreign ministers CONTINUED