25 September 2011

News Story: Philippine Plan for Joint South China Sea Development Has Legal Basis

A two-day meeting of Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) legal experts in Manila has concluded that there is a legal basis for a proposal by the Philippines for joint economic development in disputed parts of the South China Sea. That conclusion flies in the face of China, which is not part of ASEAN and claims the entire sea.

The Philippine delegation at the ASEAN meeting submitted a plan that proposes creating what it calls a “zone of peace, freedom, friendship and cooperation” in the South China Sea. The idea is to isolate the islands that multiple countries are claiming, and jointly turn them into economically viable sites that all claimant nations can benefit from.

Read the full story at VOANews