No joint declaration at Asia defense meet amid sea tensions
Source: AP
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Divisions within Asia over China's claims in the disputed South China Sea spilled over Wednesday to a meeting of U.S. and Asian defense ministers, where China insisted the group make no public mention of the strategic waters in a joint declaration intended as a public display of unity.
As a result, a joint statement was canceled, said Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, reflecting a split with China and perhaps other Asian nations over citing the South China Sea issue.
"What we sign on the joint declaration is not going to resolve the issue of duplicating claims nor is it going to wish vessels that are in the South China Sea away," he told a news conference while trying to downplay the dispute at the meeting. "To dwell on the joint declaration is not going to solve the real problem. Our concerns are more real ... unintended accidents at the high sea, which can spiral into something worse and that we must avoid."
Hishammuddin said that the Southeast Asian grouping will continue to engage China and the U.S. to ensure peace and stability in the region.
Read more: http://www.themonitor.com/news/apnews/no-joint-declaration-at-asia-defense-meet-amid-sea-tensions/article_8dc1a406-f196-5487-aac5-a83a2f2ac6ff.html
