China and Russia have blocked a proposed consensus statement at the East Asia Summit (EAS), objecting to language concerning the disputed South China Sea, according to an anonymous U.S. official who spoke to Reuters.
The statement, drafted by the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), was discussed during the regional summit in Laos on Thursday.
While the U.S., Japan, Australia, South Korea, and India supported the statement, Russia and China refused to proceed with it.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated in a press conference on Friday that the draft was blocked due to ongoing efforts by the U.S., Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand to shape the document into a “purely political statement.”
A major point of contention was the language referencing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The U.S. official indicated that the draft statement exceeded the wording used in the 2023 EAS declaration, citing a 2023 UN resolution that emphasizes UNCLOS as the legal framework for maritime activities.
The official clarified that the draft did not endorse any specific territorial claimant but aimed to underscore ASEAN’s commitment to international maritime laws.
“There was certainly no language that was getting into the nitty-gritty of any particular standoff, nor language favoring any claimant over another,” the U.S. official reported.
ASEAN has been collaborating with Beijing for years to negotiate a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea to reduce tensions and manage conflicts in this strategic waterway.
While some ASEAN members insist that the code be grounded in UNCLOS, China has resisted references to the 2016 ruling and is wary of any external influence over the dispute.
During the summit, Chinese Premier Li Qiang reiterated Beijing’s commitment to UNCLOS and expressed a desire to finalize the Code of Conduct as soon as possible. However, Li stressed that China’s territorial claims are based on solid historical and legal grounds.
He urged non-regional actors to respect the efforts of China and its neighbors in maintaining stability in the region.
“Relevant countries outside the region should respect and support the joint efforts of China and regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea,” Li said, adding that outside interference should play a constructive role in fostering regional peace.
The draft statement also addressed other geopolitical issues, including tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the Myanmar crisis, and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East—topics that Russia and China reportedly objected to.
