Foreign ministers of Southeast Asian nations on Sunday failed to reach an agreement on the South China Sea row after China's main ally Cambodia blocked an attempt to mention the South China Sea dispute in a joint statement, Reuters reported.       

Foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are currently meeting in Laos' capital Vientiane for the 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting. This is the first time that ASEAN countries are meeting since the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands delivered its much-awaited verdict earlier this month, invalidating China's territorial claims in the South China Sea.

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The Philippines and Vietnam reportedly wanted the official statement to mention the ruling of the international tribunal court and the need for China to respect the verdict. However, Cambodia strongly protested the move, putting the consensus-driven ASEAN bloc into disarray.

"We are still working on it [the joint statement]," Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told Reuters on Sunday, adding that she is hopeful that ASEAN countries would reach a consensus soon.  

Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon refused to comment on the matter.

China has been accused of forging an alliance with smaller nations like Laos and Cambodia by promising economic aid.

Last week, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), which was held in Mongolia, also failed to mention South China Sea row in its final statement. This was allegedly due to pressure from China.

China has stated that it would not respect the verdict of the United Nations-backed tribunal court, regardless of growing pressure. The Chinese government is said to have been carrying an extensive public relations exercise to gather support for its stance on the South China Sea issue. Earlier this month, a Chinese state-run newspaper claimed that nearly 70 countries support China in the maritime dispute.

TagsASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting, South China Sea, china, Cambodia, south china sea verdict