ASEAN countries agree to start talks on COC with China – draft statement

November 13, 2017

Southeast Asian countries have agreed to officially start negotiations with China on the code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea.

This was contained in the draft Association of Southeast Asian Nations Common Statement on ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations for the 20th ASEAN-China Summit set Monday afternoon.

"ASEAN Member States have agreed to officially commence negotiations with China on the COC," the draft statement said.

"Trust that we will continue this positive momentun and work towards a substantive and effective COC," it added.

The draft statement also cited the hope of the ASEAN members for the "early conclusion" of the COC.

It said that even if the situation is calmer now, the ASEAN could not take the current progress for granted.

It cited the importance of cooperation in order to maintain peace, stability, freedom of navigation in and over-flight above the South China Sea, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

"It is in our collective interest to avoid miscalculations that could lead to escalation of tensions. We therefore reiterate our commitment to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the SCS (DOC) in its entirety," the draft stressed.

The DOC, which is not legally binding document, was signed in 2002.

The ASEAN and China are also set to adopt during the ASEAN-China Summit the Declaration on a Decade of Coastal and Marine Environmental Protection in the South China Sea, a reflection of the "shared commitment to the implementation of the DOC," the draft said.

The ASEAN member countries, such as the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam, and China and Taiwan have overlapping claims in the disputed waters. Celerina Monte/DMS