BEIJING scored a diplomatic victory at the end of the 30th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, whose concluding document not only left out any mention of the landmark July 2016 international ruling against the basis of its exclusive claim to much of the South China Sea, but also deleted a reference to China’s reclamation activities in those disputed waters that was otherwise included in a draft on Friday.

The Friday draft had specifically mentioned “land reclamation and militarization that may further complicate the situation…” in a clear reference to China’s building of an artificial isle and installation of weapons systems, as well as runways and other facilities a little more than 200 kilometers west of Palawan that could accommodate military aircraft.

That phrase was markedly absent in the final version, which merely “reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation and over-flight in and above the South China Sea” and “of the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercising self-restraint in the conduct of activities, and avoiding actions that may further complicate the situation, and pursuing the peaceful resolution of disputes, without resorting to the threat or use of force.”

But the final version retained a reference to division among ASEAN leaders on how to deal with Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China Sea. “We took note of concerns expressed by some leaders over recent developments in the area,” it read.

The same statement enumerated gains made in the group’s efforts to achieve greater integration in the economic, political security and socio-cultural spheres, and cited, among others, “grave concern” over rising tensions in the Korean peninsula as a result of Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear tests in contravention of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Sought for comment, Jay L. Batongbacal, director of University of the Philippines (UP) Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said the statement as “extremely disappointing and rather embarrassing.”

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