ASEAN, China Making 'Good Progress' On COC Talks
MANILA, July 24 (Bernama-PNA) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China are making “good progress” on the negotiations of a code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, said Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro.
Lazaro said all parties still intend to finish the code “within the year" against the backdrop of recent developments in the South China Sea, Philippine news agency (PNA) reported.
“ASEAN now and China (are) geared towards the conclusion - hopefully the conclusion - of the code of conduct by the end of this year.
“And this seems to be the focus of many of the countries, and I can see some political will from all the countries involved,” she said in a press conference in Parañaque City on Thursday.
Negotiators are hastening talks through monthly in-person meetings to resolve four key “milestone issues” in the COC draft.
These include establishing the connection between the COC and the non-binding ASEAN Declaration of Conduct (DOC) on the South China Sea; determining whether the final document is legally binding or not; the geographical scope; and the definition of terms, such as self-restraint.
“If we see it from our point of view as the progress being made, the terms of reference is very important - let’s say (the definition of) self-restraint, now, there's been some kind of consensus, a growing consensus, and that's, for us, good progress,” Lazaro said.
The foreign ministers of ASEAN, China, and several major powers, including the United States, Australia, and Japan met in Manila for the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings.
-- BERNAMA-PNA
