By Prashanth Parameswaran
Grouping to accelerate efforts to conclude an elusive code of conduct.
ASEAN will intensify efforts to conclude a code of conduct in the South China Sea under Malaysia’s chairmanship amid growing concerns from some members about land reclamation activities there, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said yesterday.
“The ministers instructed senior officials to intensify efforts towards achieving the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and work vigorously towards the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct (COC) on the South China Sea,” Anifah said at a press conference at the end of the annual ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia this year.
Malaysia is hosting ASEAN-wide meetings this year as it holds the grouping’s chairmanship for 2015. While it is a claimant in the South China Sea disputes, it is known for adopting a traditionally quieter approach relative to Vietnam and the Philippines.
Anifah added that he had instructed Thailand, as country coordinator for ASEAN-China relations overseeing the COC, to “increase the frequency” of the meetings between ASEAN and China so that the issue can be resolved and progress can be made in other aspects of ASEAN-China relations. Progress on the COC is important “[s]o we can conclude and have early harvest and to proceed further on other issues of importance especially in trade and bilateral relations between ASEAN and China,” Anifah said.
Read the full story at The Diplomat