The ASEAN-Australia Special Summit concluded on Wednesday with a call for a respect of international law, whether it be in the South China Sea or in Gaza, for the sake of the world’s shared future.

The summit was initially slated to discuss the long-term economic cooperation between ASEAN and Australia, but the focus in Melbourne shifted following simmering tensions between the Philippines and China because of their overlapping claims in the South China Sea, a key conduit for global commerce.

“We strive for a region where differences are managed through respectful dialogue, not the threat or use of force,” ASEAN nations and Australia said in a joint statement issued during the summit.

Without mentioning China, the statement urged that all disputes be settled in line with international laws, “including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea [UNCLOS]”, a maritime code usually referred to caution Beijing against aggressive acts at sea.

In another document, dubbed the Melbourne Declaration, ASEAN and Australia said: “We encourage all countries to avoid any unilateral actions that endanger peace, security and stability in the region.”

China’s rapid rise in recent years has presented Southeast Asian countries with both economic opportunities and security challenges, with Beijing aggressively claiming vast swathes of the South China Sea.