Cebu city: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China are committed to accelerating and concluding a code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea within this year, as revealed by an official on Tuesday. Dax Imperial, the Foreign Affairs spokesperson for ASEAN, highlighted that all parties, including ASEAN member states and China, are aligned in their efforts to bring the negotiations to a close.
According to Philippines News Agency, the statement from Imperial came ahead of the upcoming COC negotiations scheduled to take place on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in Cebu City on January 30. The negotiations aim to conclude the discussions by 2026, as all parties are determined to finalize the COC by then.
The Philippines is actively supporting the early conclusion of the negotiations by advocating for more COC-related meetings between Beijing and ASEAN. However, Imperial did not specify how many of the critical milestone issues have been resolved to date. He assured that progress is being made with each meeting.
The milestone issues include the relationship between the COC and the non-binding Declaration of Conduct (DOC) on the South China Sea, the legal binding nature of the final document, the geographical scope of the COC, and definitions of terms like self-restraint. The COC aims to establish a framework to manage tensions in the disputed South China Sea.
The latest round of negotiations between senior officials from Beijing and ASEAN took place during the 50th ASEAN-China Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the DOC in Kunming, China, from November 24-26, 2025.
