Kuala Lumpur--Southeast Asian leaders hold a summit in Malaysia Monday seeking to maintain unity in the face of differences over how to respond to China's expanding territorial ambitions at sea.
The Philippines on Sunday challenged fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to "finally stand up" to Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario warned his regional peers in a precursor meeting in Kuala Lumpur that China was poised to take "de facto control" of the strategic seaway.
But his Malaysian counterpart Anifah Aman pointedly brushed aside Manila's call.
"The Philippines is free to issue any statements that they wish. Insofar as ASEAN's stand: We want to engage with China," he said.
Despite regular paeans to regional integration, ASEAN has a history of failing to reach consensus on any robust response to Beijing.
This is due to its members' dependence on China's huge economy for trade, and because not all ASEAN states have a stake in the maritime disputes.
ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts of the sea.
But Beijing claims nearly all of it, and its increasingly strident territorial assertions have caused concern in the region and beyond.
AFP
