Security personnel wait for the arrival of Malaysia’s prime minister Najib Razak’s private aircraft at the Wattay International Airport in Vientiane on 5 September 2016 for the 28th Asean summit. Vientiane, Laos: South East Asian leaders are likely to avoid any official mention at a summit this week of an arbitration ruling that shot down China’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea, according to a draft of their final declaration, in a victory for Beijing’s diplomatic clout. But the draft also expresses strongly stated concern about Beijing’s construction of man-made islands in the South China Sea, which South East Asian countries fear could destabilize the region. The final version is to be released on Thursday, but most major points including those concerning the South China Sea are expected to remain largely unchanged. US officials have also expressed deep concern over the possibility of China developing Scarborough into an island or starting to erect concrete structures there, which could reinforce Beijing’s control over a swathe of the South China Sea.

Source: Mint September 05, 2016 11:26 UTC