The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ meeting with Li followed recent violent confrontations at sea between China and ASEAN members Philippines and Vietnam that heightened unease over China’s increasingly assertive actions in the contested waters.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said it was “regrettable that the overall situation in the South China Sea remains tense and unchanged” due to China’s actions, which he said violated international law. “We continue to be subjected to harassment and intimidation,” he told summit leaders. He called for more urgency in ASEAN’s negotiations with China for a code of conduct to govern the South China Sea. The Philippines, a longtime U.S. ally, has been critical of other ASEAN countries for not doing more to get China to back away.
