ASEAN sets target for early completion of Code of Conduct in the East Sea

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) could finalize the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) as early as July 2026, during the Philippines' term as ASEAN Chair.

ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn in an interview with The World and Vietnam Newspaper. (Photo: Jackie Chan)

The Manila Standard newspaper reported that speaking at the 9th ASEAN Media Forum held in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn announced on November 6: "The Code of Conduct in the East Sea, which has been negotiated since 2017, is expected to be completed next year, around July 2026, coinciding with the Philippines' term as ASEAN Chair."

The COC is built on the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), which focuses on “confidence-building measures” and is a “very important foundation” for cooperation between ASEAN and China in the disputed area, he added.

According to Mr. Kao, by 2017, ASEAN and China realized that tensions were increasing, so they decided to start negotiating a substantive set of rules.

The Covid-19 pandemic then slowed down the process. There are still many issues under discussion such as the structure, language, wording and content of the COC.

The ASEAN Secretary-General stressed that one of the key factors before concluding the negotiations is determining the binding nature of the document. He affirmed: “We need to ensure that the COC is binding. One of the issues is whether this document is legally binding or not. The current DOC is not binding, so this will be the point that needs to be agreed upon.”

He expressed confidence that the process will be completed next year, because according to him, "we should not prolong the COC drafting process, because this process is no less important than the final result."

Malaysia, the current ASEAN Chair, is pushing ahead by holding more negotiating meetings, Kao added.

Previously, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also affirmed that the COC in the East Sea will be the focus of his country's term as ASEAN Chair.

Speaking after attending the 7th ASEAN Summit and related meetings from October 26-28, Mr. Marcos stated: "We are gathering elements to determine the focus of ASEAN in the coming time. For the Philippines, the COC is a top priority, although other countries may not consider it as urgent as we do. This is an opportunity for us to promote and highlight this issue."

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/asean-dat-muc-tieu-ve-thoi-han-som-hoan-tat-bo-quy-tac-ung-xu-o-bien-dong-333521.html