China's insistence on settling territorial disputes with Southeast Asian countries in the South China Sea bilaterally was a major reason behind their meeting of foreign ministers falling into disarray last week, diplomatic sources said Sunday.
At the end of the special meeting Tuesday, China had sought to release a 10-point consensus document with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but the bloc rejected it due to its wording, according to the ASEAN sources.
The sources quoted part of the China-proposed agreement as saying that the countries "directly concerned shall resolve through friendly consultations and negotiations their territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means."