The summit marks the first time member states meet after a controversial court decision against China. But a joint communique acknowledging the UN-backed court's ruling poses significant challenges.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Photoshot
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Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will meet in communist Laos on Sunday at a summit overshadowed by disagreements over maritime rights in the South China Sea.
The high-profile ASEAN summit is the first since the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on July 12 ruled that China had no basis for its expansive claims to territorial waters around the Philippines.
Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have also claimed parts of the strategic sea. However, Beijing rejected the court's ruling. Since the court's decision, China has staged live-firing exercises in the area, and said it would launch regular aerial patrols over the sea.
Beijing has come under international scrutiny for building man-made islands that host what Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier this year described as "limited and necessary self-defense facilities."
Since 1967, ASEAN member states have relied on the founding principle of making decisions by consensus.
However, the bloc's cardinal rule has posed a major issue for Southeast Asian nations attempting to shore up support for their territorial claims against China.
Final communique
A joint communique acknowledging the court's ruling would be one way for the bloc to issue a statement concerning maritime rights in the South China Sea.
Including a reference to the ruling in final communique "is a difficult issue that requires efforts of all parties," said Tran Viet Thai, deputy director of the Institute of Strategic Studies, a government think-tank in Vietnam.
"They cannot avoid it at such a major and international event. The issue is how Laos will play their host role and how other countries contribute to the success of the meetings," the director added.
However, Laos, a key ally of China, is likely to block any attempts at citing the ruling in the communique. The impasse has led to fears of a repeat of a 2012 summit, when the bloc failed to issue a final joint communique in Cambodia, another China ally, marking the first time in ASEAN's history.
Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea
Satellite images show the extent and speed of China's land reclamation activities in disputed waters of the South China Sea. The new land masses are believed to be primarily military installations.
Image: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe
Runway
China is expanding the construction of its facilities on Fiery Cross Reef. Provided by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), this June 28, 2015 photo reveals Beijing has nearly completed a 3,000 meter (9,800-foot) airstrip, long enough to accommodate most Chinese military aircraft. Two helipads, up to 10 satellite communications antennas, and one possible radar tower are also visible.
Image: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe
Expansion
Reclamation on Fiery Cross Reef, which lies on the west side of the Spratly Islands, began in August of 2014 and its principal landmass was finished by November. Dredgers have created a land mass that spans the entire existing reef and is approximately 3,000 meters long and 200-300 meters wide.
Image: Reuters//U.S. Navy
Facilities
This picture taken last November shows construction work being carried out on Fiery Cross Reef. The reef reportedly already houses a helicopter landing pad, a 300-meter-long wharf, a harbor large enough to dock military tankers, barracks and artillery emplacements.
Image: CSIS, IHS Jane's
South Johnson Reef
This reef was one of the first facilities to finish principal land reclamation. This recent picture shows that a radar tower is nearing completion at the north end of the land mass. According to AMTI, a new large multi-level military facility has been built in the center of the island. Up to six surveillance towers are being constructed alongside four possible weapons towers.
Image: Asia Maritime Transparency Iniative
A naval base?
Beginning in early 2015, Mischief Reef - also located in the Spratlys - has undergone extensive reclamation activity. Experts say that the recent widening of the southern entrance to the reef, coupled with sightings of Chinese navy vessels, may suggest a future role for the reclaimed reef as a naval base. Taken on March 17, this image shows a chain of small land formations at the reef.
Image: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe
From reef to island
Significant construction on Gaven Reef began in 2014, with a total of 114,000 square meters of land already created. Satellite pictures show just how fast construction has progressed on the reef. A new artificial island was created between March (left) and August (right) 2014.
According to AMTI, China has had a troop garrison on Gaven Reef since 2003, which has included a large supply platform where ships can dock. Experts say a new main square building in the reef appears to be an anti-aircraft tower.
Image: AMTI
A standardized process
As seen in this image, the basic process of expanding these features involves dredging sand from the seafloor and dumping it onto the reefs. The structure is raised above the high water line, hiding the status of the bank or reef beneath. The sand is then smoothed out and workers surround the island with a concrete barrier to protect against erosion and storm surge, and begin construction.
Image: CSIS
'Historic rights'
China claims most of the potentially energy-rich waterway, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The US Pacific Fleet commander recently said China was "creating a great wall of sand" in the South China Sea, causing serious concerns about its territorial intentions. Beijing argues it is asserting its so-called "historic rights" to maritime resources in the area.
Image: DW
Territorial disputes
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims, which have led to territorial disputes in the area. Last summer, China's deployment of a massive oil rig in waters also claimed by Hanoi escalated tensions in the region, sparking a standoff at sea and violent anti-Chinese demonstrations in Vietnam.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
US concerns
Washington is concerned China's efforts carry a military dimension that could undermine the US' naval and economic power in the Pacific, and has weighed sending warships and surveillance aircraft within 12 nautical miles of the new artificial islands. Washington has repeatedly called on Beijing and others to end reclamation projects in the disputed waters, but Beijing rejects those demands.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Abbugao
Ecological impact
The Philippines filed a formal plea at the UN last year, challenging Beijing's territorial claims. Manila said China's reclamation activities are causing "irreversible and widespread damage to the biodiversity and ecological balance of the South China Sea." It also claimed that the destruction of coral reef systems is estimated to cause economic losses valued at $100 million annually.
