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| Obama urges Asian leaders to step back from territorial disputes | Obama urges Asian leaders to step back from territorial disputes |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Barack Obama urged Asian leaders to turn down the temperature on simmering maritime disputes as he wrapped up his tour of the region on Tuesday. | Barack Obama urged Asian leaders to turn down the temperature on simmering maritime disputes as he wrapped up his tour of the region on Tuesday. |
| Tensions over the South China Sea and a separate dispute in the East China Sea overshadowed economic and trade issues at the East Asia Summit in Cambodia. | Tensions over the South China Sea and a separate dispute in the East China Sea overshadowed economic and trade issues at the East Asia Summit in Cambodia. |
| The meeting brought together the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) with the other significant powers in the region, including the US and China, Australia, India and Russia. | The meeting brought together the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) with the other significant powers in the region, including the US and China, Australia, India and Russia. |
| It was the final leg of the US president's trip, which has also taken him to Thailand and Burma, where he met veteran democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi as well as President Thein Sein. | It was the final leg of the US president's trip, which has also taken him to Thailand and Burma, where he met veteran democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi as well as President Thein Sein. |
| The long-running row over the South China Sea, which involves China, Taiwan and four Asean members, has become increasingly fraught in the last few years. China claims almost all the sea but other countries say they own parts of it. The waters are rich in energy resources and fisheries and an estimated $5tn (£3tn) of cargo – half the world's shipping by weight – passes through them each year. | The long-running row over the South China Sea, which involves China, Taiwan and four Asean members, has become increasingly fraught in the last few years. China claims almost all the sea but other countries say they own parts of it. The waters are rich in energy resources and fisheries and an estimated $5tn (£3tn) of cargo – half the world's shipping by weight – passes through them each year. |
| "President Obama's message is there needs to be a reduction of the tensions," the US deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, told reporters in Phnom Penh. | "President Obama's message is there needs to be a reduction of the tensions," the US deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, told reporters in Phnom Penh. |
| "The US believes that any solution has to be consistent with international law, has to preserve the free flow of commerce that is important not just to the countries in this region but to the world. | "The US believes that any solution has to be consistent with international law, has to preserve the free flow of commerce that is important not just to the countries in this region but to the world. |
| "The US is not a claimant in the South China Sea, but we have significant interest there given its role in the global economy." | "The US is not a claimant in the South China Sea, but we have significant interest there given its role in the global economy." |
| Vietnam and the Philippines have sought to deal with the dispute in international forums. But China says only bilateral negotiations are acceptable and has urged Washington not to internationalise the issue. | Vietnam and the Philippines have sought to deal with the dispute in international forums. But China says only bilateral negotiations are acceptable and has urged Washington not to internationalise the issue. |
| State media commentaries this summer bluntly ordered Washington to "shut up" on the issue. | State media commentaries this summer bluntly ordered Washington to "shut up" on the issue. |
| The row is coloured by China's growing strength and Washington's foreign policy focus on Asia, which has raised Chinese concerns that the US is seeking to contain it. | The row is coloured by China's growing strength and Washington's foreign policy focus on Asia, which has raised Chinese concerns that the US is seeking to contain it. |
| Cambodia, China's key ally in the bloc, announced on Sunday that Asean members had agreed to discuss the dispute only in talks with China and not multilateral contexts. | Cambodia, China's key ally in the bloc, announced on Sunday that Asean members had agreed to discuss the dispute only in talks with China and not multilateral contexts. |
| But Benigno Aquino, president of the Philippines, publicly rebuked his host by announcing his country had not agreed to such a stance. | But Benigno Aquino, president of the Philippines, publicly rebuked his host by announcing his country had not agreed to such a stance. |
| Asean has requested that China start formal talks on a code of conduct to avoid tensions sparking outright clashes. Washington has been pressing for the early development of such a document. | Asean has requested that China start formal talks on a code of conduct to avoid tensions sparking outright clashes. Washington has been pressing for the early development of such a document. |
| Most analysts see little hope of resolving the complex dispute at present and argue the most important step is to prevent further escalation. | Most analysts see little hope of resolving the complex dispute at present and argue the most important step is to prevent further escalation. |
| Shi Yinhong, an expert on international relations at Renmin University in China, said it was not realistic to expect a code of conduct to be agreed swiftly, but that it was important to reach general agreement on one. | Shi Yinhong, an expert on international relations at Renmin University in China, said it was not realistic to expect a code of conduct to be agreed swiftly, but that it was important to reach general agreement on one. |
| He said China was concerned about maintaining good relations with Asean and that the bloc should look carefully at Beijing's stance on the wider issue, noting: "China's position is that for the territorial dispute they will only accept negotiations between individual countries. For maritime rights I think it is much more flexible." | He said China was concerned about maintaining good relations with Asean and that the bloc should look carefully at Beijing's stance on the wider issue, noting: "China's position is that for the territorial dispute they will only accept negotiations between individual countries. For maritime rights I think it is much more flexible." |
| Asean is trying to evolve into a more powerful regional grouping to help foster development. But the South China Sea row has threatened to undermine those ambitions. | Asean is trying to evolve into a more powerful regional grouping to help foster development. But the South China Sea row has threatened to undermine those ambitions. |
| In July, a meeting of Asean foreign ministers failed to agree on a communiqué for the first time in the bloc's history due to disagreements over the issue. | In July, a meeting of Asean foreign ministers failed to agree on a communiqué for the first time in the bloc's history due to disagreements over the issue. |
| Beijing is also enmeshed in a tense dispute with Tokyo over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which sparked mass demonstrations in China earlier this year. | Beijing is also enmeshed in a tense dispute with Tokyo over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which sparked mass demonstrations in China earlier this year. |
| The Japanese prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, told Obama in a meeting on the sidelines of the summit: "With the increasing severity of the security environment in East Asia, the importance of the Japan-US alliance is increasing." | The Japanese prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, told Obama in a meeting on the sidelines of the summit: "With the increasing severity of the security environment in East Asia, the importance of the Japan-US alliance is increasing." |
| Earlier, the US president told outgoing Chinese premier Wen Jiabao that the world's two largest economies needed to work together to "establish clear rules of the road" for trade and investment. The meeting, held before the summit began, was his first with a Chinese leader since his re-election and follows a campaign in which both he and his Republican rival Mitt Romney criticised China for unfair trade practices. | Earlier, the US president told outgoing Chinese premier Wen Jiabao that the world's two largest economies needed to work together to "establish clear rules of the road" for trade and investment. The meeting, held before the summit began, was his first with a Chinese leader since his re-election and follows a campaign in which both he and his Republican rival Mitt Romney criticised China for unfair trade practices. |
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