Phnom Penh (AFP) - Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Thursday urged restraint as China holds massive military exercises off Taiwan , warning the situation could lead to "open disputes".

Beijing launched its biggest military maneuvers around Taiwan in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-ruled island.

He warned the foreign ministers of ASEAN countries during their meeting in Phnom Penh of any "provocative act." They said in a joint statement that the situation "could lead to destabilization of the region and thus to miscalculations, dangerous confrontations, open conflicts and unpredictable consequences between major powers."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend the summit with his US counterpart Anthony Blinken, but they are not expected to hold a private meeting.

China considers Taiwan part of its territory and promises to take it back one day, by force if necessary. She was incensed by Pelosi's visit, the highest-ranking elected US official to visit the island in 25 years, and vowed a "punitive" response.

The European Union's foreign policy representative, Josep Borrell, also condemned Thursday the Chinese military maneuvers, and at the same time considered that "there is no justification" for using Pelosi's visit to the island as a "pretext".

"There is no justification for using a visit as a pretext for hostile military activity in the Taiwan Strait. It is normal and routine for legislators from our country to pay international visits," Borrell said in a tweet from Phnom Penh, too.

Kong Phuc, Cambodian Vice Foreign Minister and ASEAN spokesperson, called on the two parties to maintain the stability of the situation. "We hope that de-escalation will begin (...) and that things will return to normal in the Taiwan Strait," he told reporters.

And the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is divided between countries that have close relations with China, such as Burma, Cambodia and Laos, and others that are more wary of Beijing and its increasing international rise.

But none of the CIS countries officially recognized Taiwan, and none of them showed a desire to support Taipei against the Chinese giant.

The foreign ministers' statement, which did not name Taiwan, said the association was "ready to play a constructive role in facilitating peaceful dialogue," though it was not clear that the two sides were interested in outside mediation.

A meeting between the Chinese and US foreign ministers is not scheduled, but on Friday they will attend the ASEAN Regional Forum, the 27-country body set up to discuss security issues that also includes Russia and the European Union.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who will attend the forum meeting, stressed the need to maintain the fragile status quo in the Taiwan Strait. "All sides must consider how they can contribute to de-escalating the current tensions," she told AFP.