Kerry to urge ASEAN to find diplomatic ways to ease South China Sea tensions | World News - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Kerry to urge ASEAN to find diplomatic ways to ease South China Sea tensions

ByAgencies, Paris
Jul 23, 2016 07:02 PM IST

US secretary of state John Kerry will urge Southeast Asian nations in meetings in Laos next week to explore diplomatic ways to ease tensions over the South China Sea following an international court ruling against China’s claims.

US secretary of state John Kerry will urge Southeast Asian nations in meetings in Laos next week to explore diplomatic ways to ease tensions over the South China Sea following an international court ruling against China’s claims.

US secretary of state John Kerry is try to reinforce hope that ASEAN nations find a diplomatic solution to tensions over the South China Sea, according to an aide.(Reuters)
US secretary of state John Kerry is try to reinforce hope that ASEAN nations find a diplomatic solution to tensions over the South China Sea, according to an aide.(Reuters)

Kerry travels to Laos’ capital Vientiane on Monday for meetings of foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of South East Asia Nations where tensions between China and several ASEAN members, in particular the Philippines and Vietnam, over the South China Sea is expected to dominate talks.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

“The secretary will reinforce our hope that ... the parties will now turn to constructively engaging in an effort to find diplomatic ways to peacefully interact in the South China Sea,” a senior US official told reporters ahead of the trip.

The annual ASEAN gathering will be the first since the July 12 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in a claim brought by the Philippines that China has no historic title over the waters of the South China Sea.

Nice attack

Ahead of the talks, on Saturday, Kerry was a private visit to the southern French city of Nice, where he will visit an American hospitalised in the July 14 truck attack, an aide said.

“Secretary Kerry is in Nice today on private business,” a senior state department official travelling with Kerry said in Paris. “While there, he will visit with an American injured in last week’s terrorist attack who is recovering in a local hospital. He will not have any public events.”

Further details of the trip were not given.

There were three Americans among the 84 people who were killed in Nice on July 14 when a 31-year-old Tunisian truck driver — suspected to be inspired by the Islamic State — ploughed a 19-tonne vehicle through a holiday crowd.

Kerry is on a five-day swing through Vienna, Paris, the Laotian capital of Vientiane and Manila.

Disputed waters

China has angrily rejected the international court’s verdict and pledged to pursue claims that conflict with those of several smaller neighbours. China has also blamed the US of stirring up trouble in the South China Sea, a vital waterway through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually.

Citing international rules, the US has conducted freedom-of-navigation patrols close to Chinese-held islands where China has been bolstering its military presence, which has exacerbated tensions.

The US official said it was important that ASEAN members “speak out and represent what common ground they found on issues”, including the South China Sea, as they negotiate wording for a joint statement at the end of the meeting.

Laos has close political and economic ties with China.

The official added: “I’d put a little more value on the conversation that happens among the ministers themselves than I do in the often lengthy and torturous prose that is pulled together by the staff afterwards”.

Kerry will also discuss economics and trade, efforts to combat climate change, counter-terrorism and North Korea during his meetings.

Nuclear state

The ASEAN meeting is one of the few occasions when the US secretary of state and senior North Korean officials will be in the same room. The 27-nation ASEAN Regional Forum includes the United States, North Korea, Russia, Singapore, Pakistan, India, Vietnam, Australia, China, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Asked whether Kerry plans to meet his North Korean counterpart on the sidelines of the meeting, the US official said: “Other than the ordinary milling around and passing in the hall there are no plans for a meeting between the secretary and the North Korean foreign minister”.

North Korea has pressed ahead with its nuclear and missile development despite increasing international pressure. Earlier this month, Washington imposed sanctions against the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, for human rights abuses, a move Pyongyang called a “declaration of war”.

“The North Korean foreign minister will again hear not only from the secretary of state but also from others in the room, that the world is not prepared to accept North Korea as a nuclear state,” the U.S. official said.

The international community was prepared to pursue talks with Pyongyang “but not if North Korea continues to threaten and wilfully flout its international obligations and its own commitments,” the official added.

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it's all here, just a click away! - Login Now!

Get Latest World News along with Latest News from India at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 07, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On