By Luke Hunt
The sidelines of the recent ASEAN ruckus offered a rare glimpse of the political and trading bloc grasping for diplomatic straws. Their failure to produce a closing statement at the summit, a first in its 45 year history, was only redeemed by some fast moving last minute footwork from the Indonesians.
A six point document was released recently which reaffirmed in general terms the “ASEAN way” in dispute resolution, in particular with China in the resource-rich South China Sea, also known as the West Philippine Sea and the East Sea in Vietnam.
Neither The Philippines nor Vietnam agreed with the statement.
In the end it was a document that saved Cambodia’s position as the current chair of ASEAN, where many have accused it of putting its own bilateral interests with China ahead of the overall and more immediate interests of the bloc.
Read the full story at The Diplomat