Page 11 - atoday

WORLD NEWS A11
Thursday 5 November 2015

China sea tensions stop joint statement at Asia defense meet

dispute over the joint dec- na Sea — a set of rules the 10-nation Association
laration was due to “dif- meant to govern behav- of Southeast Asian Nations
ferences in phrasing and ior in the disputed waters but was attending the de-
interpretation.” But he said — “in order to build mu- fense ministers’ meeting
“all countries agreed on tual trust and confidence, as an invited partner, was
the freedom of navigation and maintain peace, se- adamant that the meet-
and all countries accept- curity and stability in the ing’s final public statement
ed international laws and region.” China has so far omit any mention of the
norms.” dragged its feet in con- South ChinaSea. The Amer-
In a statement issued by cluding discussions on the icans argued that it would
the host country, Malaysia code of conduct. be better to make no joint
said the meeting noted the American officials traveling statement at all rather than
importance of the early with Carter said that Chi- issue one that omitted
conclusion of the code of na, which like the United mention of the contentious
conduct in the South Chi- States is not a member of South China Sea issue.q

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter listens to a question during a
press conference after the Association of Southeast Asian Na-
tions (ASEAN) Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015.

(AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin)

ROBERT BURNS na Sea for decades to the
EILEEN NG benefit of regional security
Associated Press and economic prosperity.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia He said he planned to go
(AP) — Divisions within Asia aboard the aircraft car-
over China’s claims in the rier USS Theodore Roosevelt
disputed South China Sea transiting the South Chi-
spilled over Wednesday na Sea on Thursday, ac-
to a meeting of U.S. and companied by his Malay-
Asian defense ministers, sian counterpart, Hisham-
where China insisted the muddin Hussein, as a sym-
group make no public bol of the United States’
mention of the strategic commitment to promoting
waters in a joint declara- stability and prosperity in
tion intended as a public the Asia-Pacific region.
display of unity. What’s new and problem-
As a result, a joint statement atic, Carter said, is Chi-
was canceled. Both host na’s land reclamation and
Malaysia and U.S. Defense militarization of reefs and
Secretary Ash Carter dis- islets. “What we sign on the
counted the significance joint declaration is not go-
of the failure, which reflect- ing to resolve the issue of
ed a split with China and duplicating claims nor is it
other Asian nations over going to wish vessels that
the South China Sea issue. are in the South China Sea
“I had no expectation away,” Hishammuddin
there would be agree- said.
ment,” Carter told a news He said that “our concerns
conference, adding that are more real ... unintend-
the important point was ed accidents at the high
that the South China Sea sea, which can spiral into
was a “persistent topic” of something worse and that
the conference. we must avoid.” The South-
“Everybody raised it,” he east Asian grouping will
said. continue to engage Chi-
Carter defended U.S. Navy na and the U.S. to ensure
patrols in the contested peace and stability in the
waters that China objects region, he said.
to, saying the U.S. has been Singapore Defense Minister
sailing in the South Chi- Ng Eng Hen said that the