Asean Splits on South China Sea Spats as Clinton Urges Talks

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations failed to reach consensus on handling disputes in the South China Sea, reflecting a rift between China and the U.S. over rules to keep peace in the trade lane.

Cambodia, which holds the group’s rotating chairmanship, rejected a compromise on the wording of a joint communique among the other nine members in Phnom Penh, according to Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Thailand’s top foreign ministry bureaucrat. The bloc’s inability to agree on a communique is unprecedented, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said.