SINGAPORE – Malaysian defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Saturday (June 4) urged Asean claimants to the South China Sea to resolve their differences first before blaming China or the United States for contributing to tensions over maritime disputes in the region.

“Even within Asean, there are duplicating claims [to the South China Sea]… we cannot just keep blaming China, or blaming US, until we get our own house in order,” Mr Hishammuddin told reporters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday (June 4).

Earlier, at a plenary session on Managing Military Competition in Asia which also featured as speakers Japan’s defence chief Gen Nakatani and India’s Manohar Parrikar, Mr Hishammuddin had made another call for Asean unity.

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/asean-should-resolve-their-conflict-over-south-china-sea-instead-of-blaming-china