China: South China Sea territorial disputes not on ASEAN agenda

China's ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations says territorial disputes over islands in the South China Sea will not be on the agenda when Chinese leaders attend an ASEAN summit in Thailand.

Xue Hanqin, China's ambassador to ASEAN, maintains her country's position that territorial disputes in the South China Sea are bilateral, not multilateral, issues.

Xue says China believes the dispute is between China and individual South China Sea coastal states - not an issue between China and ASEAN. Therefore, she says the Chinese government wants to resolve territorial disputes through bilateral negotiations.

Besides China, Brunei, Malaysia,...