What Did the 26th ASEAN Summit Achieve? | The Diplomat

 What Did the 26th ASEAN Summit Achieve? | The Diplomat As expected, the South China Sea question received significant attention but saw little progress. The media did release parts of a draft ASEAN statement where the group did share concerns expressed by some states on China’s extensive land reclamation activities in the South China Sea, which it said threatened peace, security and stability. And Najib also repeated the call for an “expeditious resolution” of a code of conduct while stressing that ASEAN would engage China in a “constructive way. But beyond these steps, little progress looks likely at this stage, which is not surprising considering ASEAN’s lowest common denominator position on the issue, China’s continued stonewalling on a code of conduct, and the balance Malaysia tends to strike in its own policyhttp://thediplomat.com/2015/04/what-did-the-26th-asean-summit-achieve/?mc_cid=ddfe6e802a&mc_eid=5935182a65

China Voice: Do not let ASEAN be taken hostage - Xinhua By playing the Sinophobia card, the Philippines has made a miscalculation. Anyone can see, China is a staunch force upholding peace and stability. Aside from those who see no reason in siding with a troublemaker, some countries that have disputes with China have chosen to focus on cooperation, as seen in Vietnamese Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong's fruitful visit to China in early April. Moreover, China has already shown its generosity, promising not to leave the Philippines out of the 21st Maritime Silk Road as some feared would happen. The Philippines will not change China's foreign policy, nor will it be able to let China sacrifice core interests. But it should not take ASEAN hostage. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-04/28/c_134192329.htm?mc_cid=ddfe6e802a&mc_eid=5935182a65

China 'extremely concerned' by ASEAN statement on disputed sea - Yahoo News Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that China was "extremely concerned" that the closing statement addressed the South China Sea issue, which he said was not a problem between China and ASEAN. "On this issue China has exercised extreme restraint," he said, repeating that China believed the dispute should be resolved via direct talks between the claimants. There were no problems with freedom of navigation in the waters, Hong told a daily news briefing.  http://news.yahoo.com/china-extremely-concerned-asean-statement-disputed-sea-092225898.html?mc_cid=ddfe6e802a&mc_eid=5935182a65

Xi’s Star Turn in Indonesia Rings a Bell - WSJ Even though Mr. Xi managed a smile and a handshake with Mr. Abe, those were not the sentiments that he wanted to hear at his moment of triumph in Bandung. From the vantage point of Beijing’s leaders, diplomatic problems with Japan as well as Southeast Asian allies of America stem from the role they play in a U.S. Cold War policy of “containment” aimed at blocking China’s rise. Indeed, the original Bandung Conference took place just as the Cold War was ramping up. But then, as now, no one does a better job of containing China than China itself: Its aggressive moves have served to strengthen the U.S. alliance structure in Asia.http://www.wsj.com/articles/xis-star-turn-in-indonesia-rings-a-bell-1430201915?mc_cid=ddfe6e802a&mc_eid=5935182a65