JAKARTA: The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) supports the Philippines’ bid for a peaceful resolution of its own territorial dispute with China, as well as the stance of other claimant countries that reject Bejing’s “dotted line” policy in asserting its sovereignty over rocks and islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

“The dotted line [policy] is not binding [on] any [claimant] . . . but Asean supports the peaceful resolution of these disputes [concerning the Philippines and three other countries with China],” Asean secretary general Le Luong Minh told The Manila Times in an interview.