Full coverage: The South China Sea Issue

The South China Sea dispute has also been discussed during the ASEAN meetings in the Laos capital of Vientiane. Foreign ministers from the ten ASEAN member countries, as well as China, Japan and South Korea have sent out a clear message that the South China Sea dispute is only between China and the Philippines, and that dialogue is the way to resolve it.

Foreign ministers from 27 countries gathered in Vientiane for the ASEAN meetings.

On top of their agenda was the South China Sea issue.

They reached an important consensus to return to the right track of solving disputes through dialogue and consultation.

"ASEAN foreign ministers have made it clear that ASEAN as a whole will not take a position on the so-called arbitration case, which they believe is a bilateral issue between China and the Philippines. Hyping up the issue cannot solve the problem, but gives an excuse for countries outside the region to interfere with this regional issue," Wang Yi said.

On Monday, foreign ministers of China and the ASEAN countries also vowed to promote peace in the South China Sea in a joint statement issued following their meeting.
This has been hailed as a positive step by many officials attending the ASEAN meetings.

"The joint statement issued after the ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting points out that the countries should fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. This shows the importance of negotiating and solving the South China Sea issue through peaceful means, so as to promote cooperation in various fields in the region," said Sek Wannamethee, spokesman of Thai Foreign Ministry.

"We believe that the open issue should be solved in the peaceful manner, in a direct dialogue of parties affected. And we are pleased by the joint statement that has been achieved," said Miroslav Lajcak, Slovak Foreign Minister.

However, different comments were voiced as the US, Japan, and Australia called on China not to build military outposts in the South China Sea, via a trilateral statement. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi refuted the statement. He said if the three countries have genuine concern about the issue, they should support the Declaration on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea issued by ASEAN and China, to show whether they are peacekeepers or agitators.