MANILA - Manila pushed "vigorously" for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to address an international court's ruling that invalidated China's vast sea claims in favor of the Philippines, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay said Wednesday.

But despite the refusal of foreign ministers to include the landmark decision in their joint statement after a summit in Laos, Yasay said he was "very happy" with the "middle ground" that mentioned the importance of international law.

"Yes, vigorously," Yasay told reporters when asked if he pushed for a mention of the July 12 ruling in the joint statement.

"I pushed for the inclusion of the Arbitral Tribunal award. This was a diplomatic tact that had to be made, but we know there was a middle ground without compromising" Philippine interest, he said.

Yasay added: "I'm very happy with the joint unified statement."

Raising the decision during planned bilateral talks with China "may or may not happen" but the dispute must be resolved under international law, Yasay said.

Foreign ministers of the regional bloc refused to address the landmark ruling of the Hague-based court at the end of the summit, reportedly due to opposition from China ally Cambodia. Instead the ASEAN ministers said in a joint statement that "legal and diplomatic processes" should be observed.

The United States backs the resumption of bilateral negotiations between the Philippines and China, said Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in Manila for meetings with Yasay and President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte has tapped former President Fidel Ramos as his special envoy to Beijing. The 88-year-old Ramos has had considerable dealings with China, having handled Manila's response to Chinese occupation of Mischief Reef during his term in the mid 1990s.