The Association of Southeast Asian Nations failed to reach consensus on handling disputes in the South China Sea, reflecting a rift between China and the US over rules to keep peace in the trade lane.
Cambodia, which holds the group’s rotating chairmanship, rejected a compromise on the wording of a joint communiqué among the other nine members in Phnom Penh, according to Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Thailand’s top foreign ministry bureaucrat. The bloc’s inability to agree on a communiqué is unprecedented, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said.
The squabbling underscores growing unease among the Philippines and Vietnam over China’s assertiveness in disputed waters that may contain oil and gas reserves. Full story
