By Luke Hunt
At the latest summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Brunei leaders provided a refreshing change to the infighting and bickering which characterized the 12 months since April 2012 when Cambodia – with some dabbling from China – was host.
Divisions remained, however, and agreements on touchy subjects like how to handle overlapping claims and best deal with Beijing in the South China Sea were as elusive as ever.
Beijing could not resist having another shot at The Philippines, issuing a critical statement on Manila’s push for an international verdict on disputed islands and demanding the withdrawal of all personnel and closure of facilities from islands that it said Manila was occupying.
According to Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, ASEAN is ready to deal with China as a bloc on the issue. However, China wants bilateral negotiations with ASEAN members only and refuses to have the dispute heard in an international court.
“I think the next step belongs to China,” del Rosario said at a post ASEAN briefing.
Read the full story at The Diplomat