Laos drafts bookish students to protect summit ministers

On July 12, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, the Netherlands, issued its ruling on a case brought by the Philippines against China’s nine-dash line claim in the East Sea, saying China’s claims to historic rights for waters within the nine-dash line are contrary to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Secretary Kerry met with the foreign ministers of the ten ASEAN Member States for the ASEAN-U.S. Ministerial Meeting to discuss shared priorities in the U.S.-ASEAN Strategic Partnership.

He also mentioned that China and the ASEAN nations issued a joint statement on full and effective implementation of the DOC, which stipulates that disputes should be resolved peacefully through negotiation between the parties directly concerned, and China and ASEAN countries should work together to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea. He added: “We take a position that the rule of law must be upheld”.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi attends the 6th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane, capital of Laos, July 26, 2016. “And we believe there are obligations under it”.

China and the ASEAN nations have reached an important consensus in Laos that they agreed to return to the right track of solving their disputes through dialogue and consultation, Wang noted.

Foreign Ministers and representatives from dialogue partners, including India, Russia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union, are also set to join forums to push forward respective relations with the 10-member Asean.

Lu reaffirmed China’s non-acceptance of the illegal and void award issued by the Arbitral Tribunal in the South China Sea arbitration established at the unilateral request of the Philippines. Associated meetings to be hosted in Vientiane include the 17th Asean plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (APT), the 6th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and 23rd Asean Regional Forum (ARF) as well as the meeting of the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty Commission.