Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said ASEAN and China have reached consensus on nearly 90% of the content of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, making Malaysia optimistic that the two sides could conclude an agreement soon.
According to Sin Chew Daily, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told Malaysian reporters after attending the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila, the Philippines, on Sunday (15 November) that negotiations had entered their final stage. Several outstanding issues still required political decisions, while consensus was also needed on some sensitive clauses and provisions.
He noted that the previously agreed three-year timeframe for concluding negotiations on the code of conduct would expire this year, and that the parties concerned were working to align the positions of countries bordering the South China Sea.
He said Malaysia, as the country coordinator for ASEAN-China relations, would work to bring the negotiations to a conclusion as soon as possible.
Mohamad Hasan said: “The parties have agreed on nearly 90% of the clauses, paragraphs and wording in the South China Sea code of conduct document. But some wording may be relatively sensitive for certain countries, though not necessarily for others.”
ASEAN and China signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in 2002 and agreed to draft a code of conduct, hoping to prevent accidental clashes in disputed waters from escalating into major conflicts that could threaten Asia’s economy.
However, substantive negotiations and consultations on the core text only began around 2005, and a draft framework was not agreed until 12 years later, in 2017. The two sides began formal negotiations in March 2018, but progress has been slow.
ASEAN and China have stepped up negotiations this year, including holding monthly meetings on the issue, and hope to conclude talks on the code of conduct by the end of the year.
