South China Sea Issues Hotly Debated at East Asia Summit

Singapore, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)--At the East Asia Summit in Singapore on Thursday, the alliance of Japan and the United States crossed swords with China over the situation in the South China Sea, where Beijing's militarization remains a source of tensions, informed sources said. Participants from the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and eight other countries, including South Korea and India as well as Japan, the Untied States and China, also discussed North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, among other issues, according to the sources with access to the annual summit meeting. Among the participants are Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the East Asia Summit for the first time. Vice President Mike Pence represented the United States on behalf of President Donald Trump. Abe criticized China's military buildup in the South China Sea, saying that moves going against demilitarization are continuing in the sea, according to the sources. Such moves could jeopardize the interests of countries in the region, he added. Pence also blasted at the Chinese moves. He said: "China's militarization and territorial expansion in the South China Sea is illegal and dangerous. It threatens the sovereignty of many nations and endangers the prosperity of the world." He added that the United States' vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific "excludes no nation." But Pence also said it requires countries to treat their neighbors "with respect." Meanwhile, Li, at a China-ASEAN summit held in Singapore on Wednesday, claimed that China respects freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. He also said that countries outside the region should support the efforts by China and ASEAN toward peace and stability in the sea, issuing a veiled criticism of the United States. A draft of a chair's statement for the East Asia Summit says that participants note some concerns, including the construction of artificial islands, while refraining from naming China, according to the sources. On an envisioned code of conduct that China and ASEAN are aiming to draw up in order to prevent confrontation in the South China Sea, the draft highly rates progress made in substantive negotiations toward reaching a conclusion at an early date, the sources said. END