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Asean leaders stick to 1982 UN treaty in South China Sea dispute
- The leaders of the 10-nation bloc say the UNCLOS agreement should be the basis of sovereign rights in response to Beijing’s claim
- The statement comes a day after Asean members held their annual summit, with the coronavirus pandemic and the maritime disputes high on the agenda
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Southeast Asian leaders said a 1982 UN oceans treaty should be the basis of sovereign rights and entitlements in the South China Sea, in one of their strongest remarks opposing China’s claim to virtually the entire disputed waters on historical grounds.
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The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) took the position in a statement issued by Vietnam on Saturday on behalf of the 10-nation bloc.
Asean leaders held their annual summit by video on Friday, with the coronavirus pandemic and the long-raging territorial disputes high on the agenda.
“We reaffirmed that the 1982 UNCLOS is the basis for determining maritime entitlements, sovereign rights, jurisdiction and legitimate interests over maritime zones,” the Asean statement said.
The leaders were referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a 1982 international agreement that defines the rights of nations to the world’s oceans and demarcates stretches of waters called exclusive economic zones where coastal states are given the right to exclusively tap fishery and fuel resources.
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They said in their statement that “UNCLOS sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out.”
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