ASEAN Foreign Ministers issued a statement expressing concern about the situation in the East Sea, calling for maintaining and promoting stability in maritime space in Southeast Asia.
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Statement issued on December 30 reaffirmed the bloc’s common stance on maritime cooperation in the region. This is the basic principle in the conduct of countries in Southeast Asian waters, including the East Sea, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs .
"We are closely monitoring and concerned about recent developments in
"The ministers reaffirmed the urgency of restoring and enhancing trust and confidence, calling for "self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability."
The foreign ministers also called on all parties to avoid actions that could further complicate the situation and peacefully resolve disputes on the basis of compliance with widely recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
US Coast Guard (left) and Philippine Coast Guard vessels move in the South China Sea in August 2021. Photo: USCG
ASEAN Foreign Ministers stressed the importance of fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and committed to close cooperation to soon achieve an effective, substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law.
ASEAN foreign ministers welcomed the US-China maritime consultations in Beijing, as well as the meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC Leaders' Meeting in California.
ASEAN hopes such dialogues will boost the bloc's efforts to enhance stability and cooperation in the region's maritime space.
South China Sea area. Graphic: CSIS
This is the fifth time ASEAN has issued a separate statement on maritime issues since 1995. The last time ASEAN issued a separate statement on the East Sea was in 2014.
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