ASEAN defense ministers discuss South China Sea in annual meeting

Defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Thursday exchanged views on the situation in the South China Sea in which some members of the grouping and China are at odds.A joint declaration signed by the ministers after the meeting said they commended the first maritime exercise between ASEAN and China conducted last year, and welcomed the ASEAN-U.S. maritime exercise to be held later this year.Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, who chaired the meeting, said at a press conference that the ministers reiterated the importance of an early …READ FULL ARTICLE