China has reached consensus with Brunei, Cambodia and Laos that the South China Sea territorial dispute should not affect relations between China and ASEAN.

The agreement between Beijing and key ASEAN members emerged prior to the impending result of the international arbitration filed by the Philippines against China over the South China Sea disputes. Expected to be announced in May, the case has made choppier waves in the sea. Manila and Washington are aggressively pushing for a favorable result.

ASEAN, as a regional bloc, is deemed as a game changer in the dispute by some rival claimants such as the Philippines and outsiders such as the US. They are eager to make the group speak in one voice and form a united front against China.

But ASEAN has never signed up to be a solitary political coalition to meddle into the sea spat. The claim of certain ASEAN members in the South China Sea doesn't qualify the entire organization as a competitor in the territorial dispute. Some ASEAN countries which do not have direct maritime conflicts with China have no reason and are unwilling to be put in the same boat as the Philippines and the US.

Washington and Manila's constant efforts to draw ASEAN into the complications do not pay off as expected, so they blame China for dividing the bloc. China's endeavor to solve disputes through bilateral dialogue, in a bid to ease tensions and pursue negotiations, has always been distorted by Washington as sowing discord.

ASEAN's solidarity is a guarantee for regional peace and stability, which, however, cannot be kept by inviting external mechanisms and players inside. The South China Sea arbitration and US intervention are two major factors that have complicated the situation and will result in prolonged instability.

For years, China has prudently kept its promises of not complicating the regional situation, and appealed for a direct negotiation with other claimants, an approach that is also recognized by international law. China also sticks firmly to the policy of cooperating comprehensively with ASEAN.

So far, there is still wiggle room for China and each claimant to sit at the negotiating table, but first, they should be aware of the US' true intent to stir the troubled waters for its own benefits.