東盟希望加速與中國定出南亞海島主權指引

Recently the NHK News reported the following:
ＡＳＥＡＮ＝東南アジア諸国連合は、南シナ海の島々の領有権を巡って中国と対立している問題について、平和的な解決を目指すガイドラインづくりに向けた中国側との話し合いを加速させることで一致しました。
ＡＳＥＡＮと中国は去年１０月、南シナ海の島々の領有権問題について、平和的な解決を目指すガイドラインづくりに向けて協力していくことで合意しましたが、先月行われた各国の外務省の局長級による作業部会では、中国側が消極的な姿勢を崩さず、実質的な進展は得られていません。これについて、１７日までの２日間、インドネシアのロンボク島で開かれたＡＳＥＡＮの非公式外相会議が終了したあと記者会見したインドネシアのナタレガワ外相は、このまま事態を放置すれば、不必要な混乱を招くおそれがあるとして、懸念を示しました。そのうえでナタレガワ外相は「ＡＳＥＡＮ各国は、南シナ海の問題が緊急の課題であり、ガイドラインづくりの作業を加速させるために、新たな行動が必要だという認識で一致した」と述べました。「新たな行動」が具体的に何を指すのかは、明らかにしませんでしたが、ＡＳＥＡＮの外交筋は「局長級よりハイレベルの話し合いも検討すべきだ」と述べ、今後、ＡＳＥＡＮと中国の外相会議などでも南シナ海のガイドラインを巡る議論が行われる可能性を示唆しました。
ASEAN, the Association of South East Asian Nations had generally agreed to accelerate the discussion with China for guideline-making that aimed at peacefully solving the conflict with China over the ownership problem regarding the islands in the South China Sea.
As China had not set aside its passive attitude, substantial progress could not be made in the Working Group held last month by the bureau chief-level officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in all the countries, although ASEAN and China had in last October agreed to be cooperative in the guideline-making that aimed at a peaceful solution to the ownership problem of the islands in the South China Sea. In this respect, on the 17th Indonesia's Foreign Minister Nataregawa expressed his concern in a press conference held after the end of a 2-day informal ASEAN foreign ministers meeting that took place on the Lombok island in Indonesia, and worried that needless confusion might be caused if the situation was left as it was. Foreign Minister Nataregawa described that "ASEAN countries generally recognized that because the problem of the South China Sea was an urgent problem, new action was necessary to accelerate the work of the guideline-making". Although what was "New Action" was not known in concrete terms, in the diplomatic source of ASEAN, it was described that "There should be bureau chief-level discussions to examine the issue", and suggested the possibility that ASEAN would have foreign minister meetings with China to discuss issues related to the guideline for the South China Sea.

Obviously China is unwilling to talk about the sovereignty of the small islands in the South China Sea.