RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif.—President Barack Obama and the leaders of Southeast Asia called Tuesday for peaceful resolution of the region’s maritime disputes as they concluded a summit in California.
Obama told a news conference that disputes must be resolved by legal means, including a case brought by the Philippines challenging China’s sweeping claims over most of the South China Sea.
China has refused to take part in the proceedings, but Obama said parties to the U.N. law of the seas are obligated to respect the ruling, expected later this year.
Obama has been hosting 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, in the U.S. for the first time. That sends a subtle message to China that the U.S. remains an important force in the region.
Though not a claimant, the U.S. has spoken out against China’s conduct and has angered Beijing by sailing U.S. Navy ships near some of the artificial islands to demonstrate freedom to sail there despite China’s territorial claims.
Obama said the U.S. will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and it will support the right of other countries to do the same.
The U.S. has long argued for the maritime rights issue to be resolved peacefully and is looking for ASEAN to take a unified stance on the issue.
The diverse group of countries includes governments that lean toward either Washington or Beijing. Only four ASEAN members are South China Sea claimants, leading to sometimes conflicting views on how to handle long-simmering rifts.
Human rights activists have criticized Obama for hosting Southeast Asian leaders who have not come to power in free and fair elections. Obama said the U.S. would continue to stand with those in the region looking to advance rule of law and good governance.
He encouraged the return of civilian rule in Thailand, a long-standing U.S. ally, whose current prime came to power in a May 2014 military coup.
The leaders concluded the summit by posing for the traditional family photo on the plush lawn outside a historic residence at Sunnylands, the storied California desert estate where the talks were held. Sunnylands is also where Obama had his first formal meeting with China’s current president, Xi Jinping, in 2013.
The leaders also discussed economic cooperation. ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam are all members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade pact that is the main plank of Obama’s outreach to Asia.
