The United States yesterday acknowledged that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was under “tremendous” pressure on the South China Sea issue. Heather Nauert, spokesperson for the US Department of State, said ASEAN still “held on to its principles” by defeating attempts to drop “militarization,” self-restraint” and “land reclamation” from the joint communiqué at the end of the meeting in Manila. Nauert said the communiqué emphasized the peaceful resolution of disputes, including full respect for legal and diplomatic processes, such as the July 2016 decision of the tribunal, which is “binding on China and the Philippines as provided for in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Lee-Brago, P., & Laude, J. (2017, August 11). 'Asean under pressure on SCS issue'. Philippine Star, p. 7.