Russia and China jointly blocked a proposed consensus statement at the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Laos, citing objections over specific language on the disputed South China Sea. The draft, prepared by Southeast Asian nations, was a product of extensive negotiations, but fell apart due to the refusal of both Moscow and Beijing to endorse the final wording.
This move, confirmed by a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity, highlights the increasingly fraught relations in the Asia-Pacific region, where territorial claims and great-power rivalry converge. The blocked statement raises concerns about the future of diplomatic collaboration between major global powers and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), especially over issues like maritime sovereignty and regional security.
The draft statement, shaped through months of negotiations by the 10-member ASEAN bloc, was presented to the 18-nation East Asia Summit on Thursday, according to a senior U.S. official. ASEAN’s initiative was to craft a document that would reflect a collective stance on pressing geopolitical issues in the region, including the sensitive South China Sea disputes. However, despite support from nations like the United States, Japan, Australia, South Korea, and India, the proposal hit a roadblock when Russia and China rejected it.
“Asean presented this final draft and said that, essentially, this was a take-it-or-leave-it draft,” the U.S. official stated. While most attending nations were ready to back the statement, Russia and China “could not and would not proceed with a statement,” according to the source.
Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, publicly echoed these sentiments at a press conference on Friday. He criticized attempts to frame the declaration as a “purely political statement,” naming the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand as parties pushing the document in that direction.
The central issue revolved around the wording related to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a legal framework that governs maritime activities and disputes. According to the U.S. official, this draft statement went further than the 2023 version in addressing UNCLOS’s relevance to ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea. However, the language did not specify particular claimants or standoffs, ensuring neutrality between the rival claims of countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and China.
Despite this careful framing, China balked at the wording, likely due to its broader concerns over international rulings related to its expansive territorial claims. Beijing asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, a region rich in resources and strategically vital for global trade. This claim, however, was largely invalidated by a 2016 ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which stated that China’s claims had no basis under UNCLOS. China, a signatory to the convention, has consistently rejected the tribunal’s authority.
“The statement had no language that was favoring any claimant over any other,” the U.S. official emphasized, adding that it simply reaffirmed the legal framework provided by UNCLOS for resolving such disputes.
In addition to the specific language on the South China Sea, the draft statement also touched on broader international concerns, including situations in the Korean Peninsula, Myanmar, Ukraine, and the Middle East. China’s objection to such sweeping references, alongside its rejection of the South China Sea language, led to the collapse of consensus at the summit.
During the summit, Chinese Premier Li Qiang reiterated China’s commitment to peace in the South China Sea, stating that Beijing remains dedicated to concluding a long-anticipated Code of Conduct (COC) with ASEAN. This code, which has been under negotiation for years, aims to regulate activities in the contested waters and avoid conflict. ASEAN member states have pushed for the COC to be based on UNCLOS, while China has resisted any agreements that might imply recognition of the 2016 arbitration ruling.
“Relevant countries outside the region should respect and support the joint efforts of China and regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea,” Li said during the summit. He also emphasized that China’s claims over the sea were grounded in “solid historical and legal foundations,” despite international objections.
Li’s remarks underscored a consistent message from Beijing, which frames the South China Sea as a regional issue that should be resolved without interference from outside powers such as the United States. For years, China has sought to build bilateral relationships with Southeast Asian countries while pushing back against efforts to internationalize the dispute.
For Washington and its allies in the region, China’s expansive maritime claims are a significant concern. The U.S. maintains that freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, is a critical issue. Moreover, several U.S. allies in the region, including the Philippines, have territorial claims that directly conflict with Beijing’s claims.
U.S. officials have repeatedly called for any COC between ASEAN and China to be legally binding and grounded in international law, particularly UNCLOS. The blocked statement at the EAS reflects the growing divide between China and nations like the U.S., Japan, and Australia on how to handle the South China Sea dispute. These powers have bolstered their military presence in the region, conducting freedom of navigation operations and strengthening alliances with Southeast Asian countries.
While tensions over the South China Sea have been simmering for years, the inability to agree on a consensus statement at the EAS highlights how deeply entrenched the divisions are becoming. The broader implication is a worrying trend toward a more polarized Indo-Pacific, where multilateral diplomacy could give way to unilateral actions.
Russia’s opposition to the EAS draft statement mirrors its increasingly close alignment with China on global geopolitical issues. While traditionally not a major player in Southeast Asian maritime disputes, Russia’s growing ties with Beijing have seen it taking similar positions on matters where the U.S. and its allies are concerned. Lavrov’s remarks at the summit indicated Moscow’s willingness to back Beijing’s efforts to counter what both nations perceive as U.S. dominance in the region.
Given its strained relations with the West over the war in Ukraine, Russia’s partnership with China has become a cornerstone of its foreign policy. By blocking the consensus at the EAS, Russia further solidified this partnership, aligning itself with China’s stance on key regional security issues, even if they do not directly involve Russian interests.
The failure to produce a joint statement at the East Asia Summit marks a significant setback for ASEAN, which prides itself on consensus-based diplomacy. The bloc has long struggled to present a united front on the South China Sea, given that some member states, like the Philippines and Vietnam, have directly conflicting claims with China, while others, like Cambodia and Laos, are more inclined to side with Beijing.
ASEAN’s internal divisions make it difficult to navigate its role as a regional mediator, particularly when global powers like the U.S. and China are involved. The collapse of the EAS statement may further complicate ASEAN’s efforts to finalize the Code of Conduct with China, which has already dragged on for years without resolution.
As the Indo-Pacific region becomes a focal point for global competition, the blocked statement at the East Asia Summit underscores the deepening fault lines between key players. The South China Sea remains a flashpoint, and the inability of ASEAN to secure consensus on how to address it reveals the profound challenges the region faces in maintaining stability.
With Russia and China increasingly aligned, and the U.S. and its allies pushing back against Beijing’s maritime ambitions, the diplomatic landscape in Southeast Asia is becoming more polarized. While ASEAN seeks to preserve its role as a neutral convening power, the realities of great-power rivalry may force the region into choosing sides in a contest that has implications far beyond the South China Sea.
