AT the East Asian leaders’ meetings that ended Thursday, China and most of the participating countries focused on the “big picture” for their cooperation on both economic growth and political security, without being distracted by the notorious arbitration of the South China Sea issue.

    Some overseas media outlets commented that China has “scored a diplomatic victory” as the arbitration ruling has not been mentioned in the statements issued by the Southeast Asian countries after this series of meetings.

    Actually, such a “diplomatic victory” reflects the common choice made by China and most of the ASEAN members: to work with concerted efforts to remove disturbances and to seek common development, mutual benefits and win-win results.

    While addressing the East Asian Summit on Thursday, Premier Li Keqiang described the East Asia region as a land “far from conflicts and a bonanza for trade and investment.”

    At the summit, the premier also said that China and the ASEAN countries have found a way that not only reflects the rules of international law but also leads to the “effective” management of disputes.

    In their speeches delivered at the summit, leaders of the ASEAN countries acknowledged the efforts made by China and the ASEAN members in implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and promoting the discussion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC).

    They spoke highly of the four outcome documents produced during the China-ASEAN leaders’ meetings, saying that China and the ASEAN countries are on their way to find the right path that leads to peace and stability in the South China Sea region as well as a proper solution to the issue.

    “The limited scope of Wednesday’s agreement, which had been expected, reflected how Southeast Asian nations have largely moved on from the initial tensions surrounding The Hague tribunal’s ruling and now shifted their focus on ensuring regional stability,” said The Wall Street Journal in an article on Wednesday.

    Any attempt to reverse the trend of peace and development in East Asia is destined to fail. Whether major powers outside the region or one or two East Asian countries, they should come to realize the real situation in the area and change their way of thinking to get on well with China and the ASEAN countries for sincere cooperation.

    (Xinhua)