AKIPRESS.COM - A meeting in China involving foreign ministers from Southeast Asian nations over the South China Sea has ended in confusion after Malaysia released and then retracted a joint statement that expressed “serious concerns” over developments in the disputed waterway.

The disarray raises fresh questions about unity within the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations over the issue, ahead of an international court ruling on a Philippine challenge to China’s claims to more than 80 percent of the waterway. Asean operates on consensus, which means all members need to agree on a statement before it is released, Bloomberg reports.

So far Asean has avoided citing China by name in prior statements calling for a lowering of tensions over the area. China’s claims criss-cross those by nations including the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia, and it has reclaimed thousands of acres of land in the area in recent years while boosting its military presence. It has argued that the disputes in the waters that handle more than $5 trillion of trade a year have nothing to do with its relationship with Asean.

After noting progress in ties between China and Asean, the withdrawn statement added: “But we also cannot ignore what is happening in the South China Sea as it is an important issue in the relations and cooperation between Asean and China.”

That phrase in the statement is “a direct rebuke to China’s position that the dispute is not a matter between Asean and China,” said Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.