South China Sea: Southeast Asian Ministers Cancel Joint Accord over South China Sea Dispute

Nov 4, 2015 | Oliver Holmes, Guardian
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Territorial disputes in the South China Sea have poisoned a meeting of south-east Asian defence ministers, with officials cancelling plans for a joint statement traditionally issued at the end of the summit. US delegates said there was no accord at the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), after China demanded the statement omit reference to the South China Sea, where it has overlapping claims with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.