Heads down after failing to speak up on Chinese sabre-rattling in the South China Sea, four Asean foreign ministers and the group's head shuffle off the stage. At the summit opening, Laos Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith listed the hurdles facing the bloc as "territorial disputes, extremism and terrorism, natural disasters, climate change... refugee issues". That statement had expressed alarm over Beijing's activities in the South China Sea. A working draft of the current joint communique obtained by reporters showed a section titled "South China Sea" as blank. From left, Vietnam's Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Laos Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, Brunei's Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Pehin Lim Jock Seng, Philippines's Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr and Asean Secretary-General Le Luong Minh.

Source: Bangkok Post July 24, 2016 21:56 UTC