SE Asia wants talks with China on maritime dispute

Southeast Asian countries jointly called for formal discussions with China on the continuing territorial and maritime disputes in the South China Sea during a summit on Sunday, Reuters reported. Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen said he would tell Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who traveled to Cambodia for a meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member nations, that Southeast Asian leaders want to launch talks to agree to a code of conduct that would reduce the possibility of military conflict, according to ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan. Conflicts between China and ASEAN caused talks in July to break down. In a separate report, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying said Saturday that the summit in Cambodia should not be a forum to air the maritime disputes, as they are under control and countries can resolve issues bilaterally.