Asean foreign ministers worried by SCS tensions

Foreign ministers of Southeast Asia’s regional bloc are calling for peaceful dialogue as tensions grow in the South China Sea.

- PIA LEE-BRAGO

“We closely follow with concern the recent developments in the South China Sea that may undermine peace, security and stability in the region,” the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) top diplomats said in a statement on Saturday.

“We reaffirm the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, safety, security, stability and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the maritime sphere of Southeast Asia, particularly the South China Sea,” they added.

The statement came after China’s repeated aggressive actions against Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea, ignoring calls from the international community to stop its dangerous conduct and refusing to honor the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated Beijing’s claim to nearly the entire South China Sea.