By Peter Janssen (DPA)

NAYPYITAW —  South-east Asian leaders on Sunday called for "self-restraint and non-use of force" in the South China Sea, where member states and China have sparred over disputed territorial claims.

A joint declaration issued at the 10-member Association of South-east Nations summit hosted for the first time by Myanmar, called on all sides to "refrain from taking actions that would further escalate tension and to work towards an early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea."

The statement followed Vietnamese charges that Chinese boats had rammed Vietnamese vessels and used water cannon against them last week in the South China Sea, and more recently erected an oil rig in disputed territorial waters.

A similar statement issued by the ASEAN foreign ministers Saturday reportedly irked Beijing, where Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chun Ying said China's disputes in the South China Sea should be dealt with bilaterally.

China has in the past been reluctant to sign a code of conduct in relation to the South China Sea, and has preferred to tackle maritime disputes on a bilateral basis, rather than as an ASEAN regional security issue.

"ASEAN expressing its common view on the South China Sea is not meant to be unfriendly against any country, including China," said Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.

The meetings, held twice a year, end with declarations on regional issues such as economic integration and common security concerns.

Myanmar, which is hosting the ASEAN summit for the first time, has steered clear of the South China Sea issue in its official statements.

China was one of the few counties to stand by Myanmar during its pariah years, when it was under junta rule and subject to economic sanctions by Western democracies. China is currently Myanmar's leading foreign investor and trade partner.  

Myanmar President Thein Sein chose to concentrate on climate change in his opening address to the forum.

He proposed the establishment of a regional humanitarian assistance centre to boost the capacity to respond to natural disasters, and a regional campaign to reforest coastal areas with mangroves.

Central Myanmar was devastated by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, which claimed at least 138,000 lives at a time when the country was still under military rule.

"Mangrove forests not only reduce the greenhouse gases but also reduce the impact of storms and floods in low-lying coastal areas," Thein Sein said.

The retired army general is credited with pushing through several political and economic reforms since taking office in 2001.

Reforms including the release of political prisoners and allowing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to join mainstream politics as a member of parliament prompted Western democracies to drop economic sanctions that had been in place for decades.

Myanmar was selected to host an ASEAN summit for the first time since it became a member in 1997 of the bloc that includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

KATHMANDU (DPA) — A Chinese woman was on her way up Mount Everest, in the first attempt to reach the summit after expeditions were called off following a deadly avalanche, officials said Sunday.

"We have received information that Wang Jing is making her way up toward the Base Camp with a group of three supporting Sherpa climbers," said Dipendra Poudel, secretary of the mountaineering department of Tourism Ministry.

The 40-year-old Wang has already climbed seven peaks above 8,000 metres. The ministry said climbing guides were working to fix new ropes and ladders over the icefall since the April 18 avalanche.

Poudel said another group of 10 climbers was to head toward Everest next week from Kathmandu for an expedition.

Altogether, 334 climbers had sought permits to climb Everest this year before expeditions were called off after an avalanche struck the mountain, killing 16 Nepali climbing guides on April 18.

An American woman was also on her way up Mount Lhotse, another peak in the Everest region at 8,501 metres.

The 51-year-old Cleonice Weidlich got a head start on a helicopter to Camp 2, altitude 6,500 metres, with her equipment.

"We only allow helicopters to go up to camps in case of emergency," said Dipendra Poudel, secretary of the mountaineering department of Tourism Ministry.

"A section of the climbing ladder was broken after the avalanche at the Khumbu icefall, which might have been the reason she had to fly to Camp 2."

Climbers to both Everest and Lhotse follow the same route up to Camp 4 before branching out in different directions.

According to law, helicopters are only allowed on the slopes of the mountain for rescue operations. But Poudel said the government has been under pressure to save face this climbing season after most of the expeditions were called off last month.

Weidlich was accompanied by a climbing guide and a porter. She had successfully reached the 8,848-metre Everest summit in 2010.

NAYPYITAW (DPA) — Myanmar officials highlighted the importance of China's peaceful rise in the region on Saturday ahead of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.

Myanmar will host Sunday for the first time since it joined the 10-nation bloc in 1997.

"China is not only a big friend of Myanmar's, but China is also the biggest trading partner of most of the ASEAN counties so China's peaceful rise is very important for the ASEAN region," said Ye Htut, a spokesman for President Thein Sein.

ASEAN summits, held twice a year, end with declarations on regional issues such as economic integration and common security concerns.

The Philippines and Vietnam are lobbying this year for a strong statement from ASEAN against aggression in the South China Sea. Several countries have territorial disputes with Beijing over sovereignty claims to the sea, petroleum reserves and rights to fishing grounds.

Myanmar, as host, will play a crucial role in determining the tone of the final ASEAN statement on China, its northern neighbour and main foreign investor.

ASEAN foreign ministers met in the capital Naypyitaw Saturday to discuss regional issues, including the South China Sea tensions, ahead of the summit.

Ye Htut described the Philippines' and Vietnam's problems with China as a matter of "bilateral relations."

China's policy has been to address its territorial disputes at the bilateral level, while the Philippines and Vietnam want a common ASEAN stance to pressure Beijing to agree to a Code of Conduct in the disputed areas.

The issue is seen as a test for ASEAN unity, in the face of China's growing political and economic clout in the region.

China was one of the few countries that stood by Myanmar when it was under military junta rule between 1988 to 2010, and propped it up during years of Western economic sanctions.

ASEAN groups Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

By Ahmad Pathoni (DPA)

JAKARTA — The opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), led by former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, secured 19 percent of the vote in April 9 parliamentary elections, the General Election Commission said.

Golkar, the ruling party during the reign of former dictator Suharto, was second with about 15 per cent. The Gerindra Party of former military general Prabowo Subianto, who is a presidential hopeful, came in third with 12 per cent, the commission said.

PDI-P has nominated popular Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo as its candidate for the July 9 presidential election. But the party needs to form an alliance with one or more other parties, as a party or coalition of parties that must receive 25 per cent of the popular vote or 20 per cent of seats in parliament to nominate a presidential candidate.

PDI-P has struck an alliance with the National Democratic Party (NasDem), which won nearly 7 per cent of the vote but is still trying to woo other parties to broaden its support base.

Surveys before the parliamentary elections indicated Widodo would win the presidency by a landslide, with his popularity ratings more than double those of his closest rival, Subianto.

Widodo, a heavy metal fan and former furniture retailer, rose to political prominence as mayor of Solo in Central Java province, where he introduced a series of policies including free health care and education.

Widodo won the Jakarta gubernatorial election in 2012 and has since built a reputation as a capable and hands-on leader with a common touch, through his frequent visits to the capital's poor neighbourhoods.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, which leads the ruling coalition, was at 10 per cent in the official vote tally, a sharp drop from 21 per cent in 2009 elections.

Yudhoyono cannot run again after two terms in office, and his party has been embroiled in corruption scandals involving senior members.