MANILA, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- China has proposed a three-step vision to step up consultations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Sunday after he and his counterparts from ASEAN nations approved the framework of the COC.
All sides fully acknowledged the positive momentum that the improving situation in the South China Sea is demonstrating and expressed their approval of the framework of the COC which they believe laid a sound foundation for the substantive consultations, Wang told reporters after the China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting.
The ministers spoke highly of the achieved early harvests, including the establishment of hotline communications among senior officials of the ministries of foreign affairs of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states in response to maritime emergencies, he said.
All the afore-mentioned achievements testify to the fact that China and ASEAN have the wisdom and capability to properly manage the disputes, formulate a set of regional rules that we all recognize, and preserve peace and stability in the South China Sea, according to the Chinese foreign minister.
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