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Philippines urges ASEAN to stop China from taking control of South China Sea

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), from left to right, Thailand's Tanasak Patimapragorn, Cambodia's Hor Namhong, Vietnam's Pham Binh Minh, Philippines' Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, Laos' Thongloun Sisoulith arrive for the 26th ASEAN Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting at Kuala Lumpur Convention Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Sunday, April 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Joshua Paul) (The Associated Press)

Vietnam's Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, left, chats with Philippines' Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario as they arrive for the 26th ASEAN Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting at Kuala Lumpur Convention Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Sunday, April 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Joshua Paul) (The Associated Press)

Ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN countries, from left to right, Myanmar's Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, Philippines' Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, Singapore's Foreign Minister K Shanmugam, Thailand's Foreign Minister Tanasak Patimapragorn, Vietnam's Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, Laos's Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Brunei's Foreign Minister Lim Jock Seng, Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh join their arms as they pose for a group photo during the 26th ASEAN Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Sunday, April 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Joshua Paul) (The Associated Press)

The Philippines is urging the 10-member Southeast Asian Nations to take immediate steps to halt land reclamation by China in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, warning that failure to do so will see Beijing take "de facto control" of the area.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario told a meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers that if China's construction of artificial islands on reefs claimed by other countries is allowed to be completed, then Beijing will impose its claim over more than 85 percent of the sea.

Rosario urged the grouping on Sunday to "stand up" to China by urging it to halt its reclamation work.

China, Taiwan and ASEAN members Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei have overlapping claims in the South China Sea.