Senior officials of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will hold a dialogue in October to discuss the full implementation of the Declaration on the Code of Conduct (DOC) and the conclusion of the Code of Conduct (COC), Acting Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Friday.
Rosario receives Thailand’s acting foreign Minister
Sihasak Phuangketkeow. DANNY PATA
During a press conference, Phuangketkeow confirmed that Thailand will continue to be a country coordinator for the Asean-China bilateral dialogue. The October meeting will be held in Thailand.
“We have done our best to move forward the relationship as well to contribute whatever it can with regard to the issues in the South China Sea. We think that these issues are important to peace and stability of the region as a whole,” he said.
“What is important is the need for self-restraint on the part of all parties, commitment to peaceful resolution and we see arbitration is as means of peaceful resolution and most importantly, we want to see the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.”
The DOC was signed by China and the Asean in 2002, and aimed to reduce political tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
The COC, on the other hand, is a more binding edict that was enshrined in the DOC. It hopes to further promote peace and stability in the economically vital sea lane.
Last year, the 10-member bloc also met with China to discuss the implementation of the DOC and the conclusion of the COC.
Although the multilateral meeting was a first for China since the disputes began in 2012, no consensus was reached in terms of agreeing to the early conclusion of the COC and the easing of aggressive steps in claiming territories in the region.
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/07/19/china-asean-to-hold-dialogue-on-conduct/
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