Disagreement between the United States and China over how to address rival claims in the South China Sea marred a gathering of Southeast Asian defense officials on Wednesday, with a joint statement scrapped after ministers failed to agree on its wording. The United States and its allies had pressed for a mention of disputes in the South China Sea in the statement while a senior U.S. defense official said China had lobbied members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to avoid any reference. “The decision was made by ASEAN because there is no consensus, so no joint declaration is signed,” Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told a news conference.

ASEAN defense chiefs scrap statement on south china sea. ( 2015, November 05). Malaya Business Insight, p. B6.