In China: Government blames “certain countries” for cancellation of ASEAN

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter visited a US aircraft carrier in the South China Sea Thursday as tensions grow with China over Beijing’s maritime expansion in the region.

The impasse at the Kuala Lumpur defence dialogue marks the latest fallout from a confrontation between Washington and Beijing over China’s expansive claims to the strategic South China Sea and its construction of artificial islets to back them up.

Sino-US friction over the issue has spiked since last week, when the guided missile destroyer USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of at least one of the land formations in the disputed Spratly Islands.

Chang made the remarks after a minority of attending countries attending the third ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Wednesday, hyped the navigation freedom concept.

He declined to lay blame for the breakdown and said “discussions were not heated”.

Malaysia is now negotiating to release an agreement that is acceptable to China and the United States, according to a senior Malaysian official.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman warned against “waving the banner of freedom of navigation to push forward the militarisation of the South China Sea and even provoke and endanger other countries’ sovereignty and security interests”.

South Korea and China didn’t discuss the South China Sea disputes at talks between defense ministers of the two nations following the general session.

China’s territorial claims are widely disputed.

Tensions are rising in the dispute involving claimant countries Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan and China.

The body of water has always been viewed as a potential flashpoint, and the Chinese island-building has heightened those fears.

The work includes runways and other large-scale development, making the islands potentially capable of hosting military personnel and hardware.

In October, the U.S. Navy reportedly conducted “freedom of navigation” operations in the waters after Carter told lawmakers the previous month that the USA “will fly, sail and operate wherever the worldwide law allows”.

Carter will be joined on the visit by Hishammuddin.

The statement on China’s Defence Ministry blog expressed regret over the failure of the ADMM-Plus to reach a consensus on the declaration.

Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan, earlier this week said his country would defend its sovereignty in the contested area.

Nakatani also defended Japan’s recently passed security measures, saying “we will remain a pacifist nation and hold fast to our strict policy of self-defense”.

Hishammuddin said that the Southeast Asian grouping will continue to engage China and the U.S.to ensure peace and stability in the region. And it was a decision by ASEAN, decision, that because there was no consensus the JD was not signed.