VOA标准英语2014--在东南亚峰会上,美国呼吁在南海争端上保持冷静

（单词翻译）

US Urges Calm in Sea Disputes During SE Asia Summit 在东南亚峰会上,美国呼吁在南海争端上保持冷静

 Senior diplomats¹ from Southeast Asian nations, China and the United States wrapped up talks in Myanmar's capital Sunday with a statement urging all sides to avoid confrontations² in the South China Sea.

Overlapping³ ownership claims in the oil- and gas-rich sea continue to be a major regional flashpoint, but efforts by the U.S. and Philippines to temporarily halt all so-called “provocative⁴ acts” such as oil drilling, failed to attract broad support.

The gathering⁵ in Myanmar's capital city Naypyidaw marks another milestone⁶ for the country's political opening, as it plays host to this year's major meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian nations.

But just like recent ASEAN gatherings⁷, the bloc's key issue: how to address maritime⁸ territorial⁹ disputes in the South China Sea remains¹⁰ unresolved, says Myanmar's foreign minister.

"It is not that one party is trying to influence others, the others against the one country," he said. "All ASEAN, not ASEAN versus¹¹ China. This is what we call it the ASEAN...we would like to settle all these kind of disputes in a very peaceful manner."

The emphasis on diplomacy¹² comes after months of sometimes violent territorial confrontations.

In May, China moved an oil rig to waters near the Paracel islands, which Vietnam also claims. The move sparked a violent backlash against Chinese businesses in Vietnam. Chinese land reclamation¹³ efforts near islets claimed by the Philippines also set off alarms in Manila.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he remains hopeful the matter can be resolved without hostilities¹⁴.

“We all underscored the importance of negotiations¹⁵ on a binding¹⁶ code of conduct," he said. "And I stressed the importance of everybody clarifying claims under international law and proceeding¹⁷ under the legal process through the law, through arbitration¹⁸, and also through bilateral¹⁹ relationships.”

Efforts to agree on a binding code of conduct have faltered²⁰ for more than a decade, partly because of Chinese opposition²¹. The lack of progress has led some countries such as the Philippines to try other legal venues²² to determine ownership.

ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh tells VOA that because of the growing tensions, negotiators must find a peaceful breakthrough.

“It is urgent, it is important now that ASEAN can engage China and can intensify²³... these consultations²⁴, these negotiations, towards the early conclusion and adoption²⁵ of a code of conduct,” he said.

Chinese state-backed media Monday played up the failure of the U.S. proposal to freeze provocative acts in disputed parts of the Sea, claiming Washington uses the issue to meddle²⁶ in the region.