China likely to take firm line in Asean talks on code of conduct for South China Sea
Priority will be defending territorial interests in dialogue on code of conduct in disputed waters
China will act assertively at a regional meeting to discuss a code of conduct for the South China Sea amid rising tensions with its Southeast Asian neighbours over disputed waters, observers say.
While Beijing would seek to establish such guidelines on maritime conduct during the two-day meeting that started in Bali, Indonesia, yesterday, it will also signal to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) that territorial interests would be its top priority.
The meeting will be the 11th time China and Asean have negotiated on a binding set of rules to inform engagements in the contested area.
China has been more willing to negotiate for such a code since September, when Beijing and Asean diplomats held their first consultation in Suzhou. But the recent spat between Beijing and Hanoi and Manila will complicate the negotiations.
Zhang Mingliang , an expert in Southeast Asian affairs at Jinan University in Guangzhou, said China was expected to send a message to its neighbours.
"China is determined to defend its territorial integrity, and this has become the first priority," he said. But "China will resolve the dispute through peaceful negotiations".
The talks in Bali come after China and Vietnam locked horns recently over the establishment of a Chinese oil rig around the disputed Paracel Islands, which triggered deadly anti-China riots in Vietnam.
