Afraid Of China: Southeast Asia Refuses Again To Stand Up To Beijing
By Tim Daiss

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (6th R) and foreign ministers from ASEAN-member nations pose for a group photo during a special ASEAN-China foreign ministers’ meeting in Yuxi, southwest China’s Yunnan Province on June 14, 2016. (Photo STR/AFP/Getty Images)

News broke on Wednesday that the ten members making up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) failed to stand up to China over its South China Sea activities.

A meeting in China between ASEAN foreign ministers and China’s foreign minister ended in confusion after Malaysia released then retracted a joint statement, which expressed “serious concerns” over developments in the turbulent South China Sea.

The statement that was later retracted said: “We expressed our serious concerns over recent and ongoing developments, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and which may have the potential to undermine peace, security and stability in the South China Sea.” The statement did not mention China by name.

Yet, just a few hours later the Malaysia foreign ministry spokeswoman retracted the statement, stating that urgent amendments needed to be made and an updated version would be distributed. However, ASEAN didn’t release a new statement while the Malaysian ministry spokeswoman said countries would now issue individual statements.

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