Phnom Penh Asean Meeting Braced for More S China Sea Talks
A dispute over territory in the South China Sea is once again set to hang over talks when China and the U.S. join in on a week of high-level Asean meetings that start in Phnom Penh on Friday. So far, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a simple agenda stating that human rights and a treaty to declaring Asean a nuclear-weapons-free zone will be addressed at this year’s Asean Regional Forum. But with fresh protests against Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea in Hanoi, and China starting up combat-ready patrols of contested waters, the issue will likely be among the most important issues on the agenda, analysts say. Along with the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam are locked in a dispute with China over contested territory to parts of the sea thought to be rich in oil and gas reserves. …
