Asia-Pacific leaders gathering in the Philippines for an economic summit are most likely to omit any reference to high tensions in the South China Sea when they release a joint statement, a draft of it showed Wednesday.

A copy of the latest draft obtained by Kyodo News showed that the leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, will not touch on territorial disputes in the South China Sea or elsewhere in their post-summit document.

They are expected to even avoid saying in general terms that ensuring the freedom of navigation in the waters is vital for the Asia-Pacific region. Nearly $5 trillion worth of trade passes by the waters every year.