The members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is likely to issue a joint statement on the controversial South China Sea disputes against the powerhouse economic might of China. The joint statement of ASEAN members will release to the media in response to an upcoming verdict on the Philippines’ arbitration case Against China on disputed territories, an official said on Thursday.
Before the highly anticipated joint statement of the 10-Member ASEAN countries, the regional organization’s requires all 10 member countries reach concensus before declaring a unified stance on the issue.
Despite the fact that Indonesia is not involved in any territorial disputes against China in the South China Sea, they promised to help the other members of the ASEAN on their struggles against one of the world’s most dominant maritime powers, the Peoples Republic of China.
The ASEAN regional organization will conduct first a special ministerial meeting with China scheduled to take place this coming June 13 to 14, ahead of the upcoming verdic on the Philippines’ South China Sea case against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague.
When the Indonesian government was asked if the joint statement of the ASEAN country would be raised with China during next week’s meeting, they said that as consensus had not been reached, talk would remain between ASEAN member nations at this point.
The Peoples Republic of China earlier issued an official statement that it would ignore the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling.