New ASEAN Secretary-General pushes for South China Sea Code of Conduct

The new Secretary-General of,Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) wants to finalize a legally binding code of conduct aimed at easing tensions in the South China Sea. “ASEAN should speed up efforts towards an early start of negotiations with China with a view to achieving an early conclusion of a Code of Conduct on the South China Sea,” Vietnam's Le Luong Minh said in his speech during the turnover ceremonies at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia on Wednesday. He said that this is possible in the face of complicated developments on the South China Sea by “building on the progress reflected in the agreement between ASEAN and China on the Guidelines for Implementing the Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, in ASEAN's 6-point Principles on the South China Sea and in the adoption of the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on the occasion of the 1Oth Anniversary of the DOC.” Minh admitted that amid the progress that has been made on political and security aspects “much remains to be achieved in ensuring effective and timely implementation of the ASEAN Political and Security Community Blueprints, especially the measures relating to shaping and sharing standard norms of conduct, to confidence building, conflict prevention and resolution.” Of ASEAN's 10 member-countries, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei have claims over the Spratly Islands, located in the South China or West Philippine Sea. The other members of ASEAN are Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand. Vietnam, just like the Philippines, had protested against China's encroaching on the islands the former has claims on. Also, the Philippines and Vietnam have refused to stamp China's new passport which features a map of Beijing's claim to almost all of the South China Sea. He said the next five years, the term of an ASEAN Secretary-General, will be exciting and critical as he assured that the ASEAN secretariat is prepared to work closely with the member states to ensure that major commitments and objectives will be delivered. Minh's appointment was formally endorsed by the ASEAN Leaders at the 21st ASEAN Summit in Cambodia in November 2012. He replaced Thailand's Surin Pitsuwan as Secretary-General who served from January 2008 to December 2012. Minh's five-year term will end in December 2017. A press release from ASEAN said Minh is the first Vietnamese to become the regional bloc's Secretary-General. From 2004 to 2011, Minh was Vietnam’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary from January 2004 to August 2007; Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, concurrently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary from August 2007 to December 2008; Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, concurrently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (December 2008 – June 2011). Minh's career in Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs began in 1975. — DVM, GMA News