AlHijjah 21, 1432, Nov 17, 2011, SPA -- South-East Asian leaders gathered Thursday on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, turning the spotlight on territorial disputes in the South China Sea, dpa reported.. Regional economic integration was also high on the agenda at the summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), but the dispute between China and some member countries over parts of the South China Sea has taken centre stage. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said ASEAN had built "comfort zones" for countries to resolve disputes peacefully. "History has proved and attested that ASEAN continues to be an association that is mature, able to bring stability and ensure security in our region," Yudhoyono said in a speech opening the summit. China claims the entire South China Sea. Taiwan and four ASEAN members - the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam - also have overlapping claims to the territory. Tensions have risen between China and the Philippines, which has called for a united ASEAN front against Beijing's increased assertiveness in the sea, a key shipping lane that is also believed to be rich in oil and mineral resources. Indonesia, the current chair of ASEAN, has expressed reservations about Manila's proposal, saying claimants should use a less confrontational approach. ASEAN leaders were also expected to endorse a new economic framework that would bring the 10 ASEAN members together with Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The framework consists of general principles of free trade areas that had been previously signed by ASEAN and the six countries and includes differential treatment for ASEAN's less-developed members Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, officials said. ASEAN seeks to integrate the region as an economic, security and sociocultural community by 2015.
