The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China are aiming to conclude the long-awaited Code of Conduct (CoC) in the South China Sea by the end of the year, reflecting renewed momentum in negotiations among the parties.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said discussions during the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) focused on accelerating negotiations, with ASEAN member states and China demonstrating the political will to finalize the agreement within the year.
Lazaro, who chaired this year’s AMM, said negotiations have significantly picked up pace, with negotiators meeting monthly since January—a marked departure from previous years.
She said the intensified discussions underscore the shared commitment of ASEAN and China to complete the CoC, which is expected to establish rules governing conduct and behavior in the disputed waters.
Among the areas showing progress, Lazaro cited growing consensus on the principle of self-restraint, a key component of the agreement’s terms of reference.
She added that negotiators continue to discuss the proposed CoC’s geographical scope, legal nature and its relationship with the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
According to Lazaro, the proposed agreement remains anchored on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), while respecting the rights of third parties and promoting the peaceful management of maritime disputes.
Asked whether recent incidents in Ayungin Shoal and Scarborough Shoal could affect the negotiations, Lazaro said such developments are part of the ongoing discussions and are being considered as the parties work toward finalizing the Code of Conduct. TRACY CABRERA