Germany backing arbitration over South China Sea in meeting

MANILA, Philippines — German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed to raise China's bitter rivalry over the South China Sea with its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam, at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Milan.

In a statement made in a press conference on Thursday (Manila time), Merkel advocated a political solution on the longstanding maritime dispute seen to threaten bilateral, trade and security in the fast-growing East Asian region and may potentially affect the world economy.

"It is in Germany’s interests to have freely accessible shipping channels and tension-free zones," Merkel said in a joint press conference with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Berlin.

"We urge, and in this we are in full agreement, a peaceful solution. We could envisage discussions or international arbitration," she added.

China has forcefully pressed for its "undisputed sovereignty" over the waters despite opposition by its neighbors. The Asian giant's actions have been slammed as "aggressive" and "destabilizing" by the international community.

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Merkel said she will push for a solution to the maritime row at the two-day ASEM summit, which starts Friday. Also attending the meeting are Chinese Prime Minister Li Kequiang, Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders of ASEAN member states.

The German leader made the statement only a week after a meeting with Li.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, meanwhile, opened the ASEM forum on Thursday, pushing for enhanced cooperation between the two "most successful integration processes among sovereign countries in the world."

Van Rompuy observed that EU-ASEAN relations have broadened the past two years, with several high-level level visits, most recent of which was made by Filipino President Benigno Aquino III and and Vietnam's Tan Dung.

"We are moving to new areas of concrete cooperation: improving aviation connectivity, crisis response and disaster management, preventing transnational crime and improving maritime cooperation," Rompuy said in his opening remarks.