Beijing, Asean to start on third reading of South China Sea code of conduct
- China and regional bloc will ‘accelerate negotiations’, Chinese foreign ministry says
- Senior officials had ‘in-depth exchange of views’ and agreed to deepen cooperation
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Thursday said Beijing and the regional bloc would “accelerate negotiations so as to strive to reach at an early date an effective and substantive” code of conduct.
The comments came a day after senior officials from the region held talks in Beijing. Hong Liang, director general of the Chinese foreign ministry’s Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, co-chaired the meeting.
Mao said China and Asean members had an “in-depth exchange of views” on the situation in the South China Sea and officials agreed to deepen cooperation in areas including maritime scientific research, environmental protection, and maritime law enforcement activities.
“Parties were of the view that upholding peace and stability in the South China Sea is of vital importance and called on all sides to exercise restraint, strengthen exchanges, and handle differences appropriately, so as to safeguard maritime stability,” she said.
Progress on the code of conduct has been slow but countries have made efforts in recent months to accelerate negotiations. Beijing claims almost the entire resource-rich South China Sea but its claims are disputed by Asean members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.