Yasay said the arbitral tribunal was not an issue for ASEAN to deal with and it was strictly the business of China and the Philippines to handle. The failure by ASEAN to take a position or mention the arbitration had no impact on the validity of the court decision, Kerry added. Yasay earlier said the Philippines wanted to set a course for dialogue with Beijing, but would not say whether Manila would insist the arbitration issue be on the agenda as a prerequisite for talks. "But that (was) not the object of our meeting in ASEAN. "It makes ASEAN more credible to the international community and makes it more effective and relevant as a regional group," he said.

Source: Thanhnien News July 27, 2016 04:52 UTC