ASEAN, China approve framework for South China Sea Code of Conduct

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China on Sunday announced the approval of the draft Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, seen to improve relations among countries within the region.

"Today, the 11 foreign ministers agreed upon and adopted the COC framework draft and we announced that sometime within the year we will start the consultation of the text within the COC," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Pasay City on Sunday.

"By the end of this month, during the joint working group meeting on the implementation of the COC, all the parties will discuss the thinking, the principle, and plan for the next stage of consultation of the COC and we will build a consensus between China and ASEAN countries, and with necessary preparations for that," he added.

China said that should the situation around the South China Sea remain stable, it will consider the official start of the COC consultation during the ASEAN Leaders' Meetings in Manila this November.

"When the situation in the South China Sea is generally stable and if there is no major disruption from outside parties... then we will consider during the November Leader's Meeting, we will jointly announce the official start of the COC consultation," Wang said.

"We are confident that China-ASEAN relations will move from a period of rapid growth to a period of maturity, and a future to build on that to move forward to a comprehensive strategic partnership," he added.

In a two-page framework obtained by GMA News,

Thorny issues that Beijing opposes in a multinational arena were not mentioned in a two-page copy of the framework obtained by GMA News.

The document did not also say if it is legally binding. The document envisions the cod of conduct to be a “rules-based framework containing a set of norms to guide the parties and promote maritime cooperation in the South China Sea.”

It also said that the code of conduct “is not an instrument to settle territorial disputes or maritime delimitation issues.” —ALG, GMA News