Kerry says hopes China has stopped island building in South China Sea

Work on the joint statement continued on Thursday, despite the fact that it was supposed to have been finished on Wednesday.

“The Philippines briefed the Meeting on further developments including matters particularly relating to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)”.

“Competing claims are not going to be resolved any time soon, so it is important for ASEAN to present a united front”, he said.

Past Asean statements on the sea dispute, including the most recent issued in April after a summit of the bloc’s leaders, have failed to mention any country by name.

Mr. Wang also called on countries in the region to speed up talks on how claimant states should conduct themselves in the disputed waters, Reuters reports. He said the step would also create space to finalize a binding code of conduct.

Following the meeting, Wang told reporters that Beijing is seeking “peaceful discussions” over the dispute.

“China’s friends are taking a hard stance”, said one diplomat familiar with the drafting.

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that land reclamation had “already stopped,” and that ASEAN and China both wanted to resolve the issue through dialogue.

AFP cites diplomatic sources who said that the Philippines and Vietnam were pressing for the use of stronger language related to China’s island building, which they fear could strengthen Beijing’s territorial claims.

“These activities have to stop and this has been a concern for Asean as it is eroding the trust and confidence of the parties, complicating the process of negotiating the CoC”, he said in an interview with Malaysian media.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has raised concerns over land reclamation and island building in the South China Sea with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.

US NavyThe aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65), the guided-missile destroyers USS Sampson (DDG 102) and USS Pinkney (DDG 91), and the guided-missile frigate USS Rentz (FFG 46) operate in formation in the South China Sea. He did not elaborate.

Singh’s comments follow China sparking alarm among its smaller neighbours in South-East Asia by expanding reefs, constructing military posts, and blocking vessels straying into what it claims are its territorial waters.

Albert F. del Rosario, the Philippines’ foreign secretary, said Tuesday that there has been “no letup on the unilateral and aggressive activities of our northern neighbor in the South China Sea“. China has rejected outside interference in the disputes.

Alongside Taiwan, ASEAN members Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei all have various claims to the South China Sea.

China’s neighbours have increasingly chafed at what is seen as mounting violations by Beijing of a regional pledge not to take actions that could stoke conflict.

Kerry described that commitment as not as “fulsome” as some had hoped.

“We want to ensure the security of critical sea lanes and fishing grounds”, he added.

A Washington-based think tank said this week Beijing could be preparing to build a second airstrip on an artificial island.

A communiqué was expected at the end of joint meetings between ASEAN, the United States, China, Japan and other countries on Thursday, senior officials said.