Cebu: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is renewing its push for the immediate conclusion of negotiations for a legally binding Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea (SCS) to manage disputes and reduce tensions in disputed maritime areas.
According to Philippines News Agency, the regional bloc welcomed the progress in the ongoing talks and called for the full use of guidelines to expedite the conclusion of an 'effective' COC in the SCS, endorsed by the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN and China in 2023.
The member-states discussed the situation in the SCS during the 48th ASEAN Leaders' Meeting and Related Summits held in Cebu on Friday. They stressed the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercise self-restraint to maintain peace and stability, and avoid actions that may complicate or escalate disputes in the hotly contested waters.
They also emphasized the importance of upholding international laws, such as the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as well as building confidence and trust among concerned parties. '(We) looked forward to the early conclusion of an effective and substantive COC that is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS,' according to the ASEAN Chair's statement released Saturday.
'We emphasized the need to maintain and promote an environment conducive to the COC negotiations, and thus welcomed practical measures that could reduce tensions and the risk of accidents, misunderstandings, and miscalculation.'
The Southeast Asian leaders reaffirmed the region's stance to maintain and promote peace, security, and stability while the talks for a final and binding COC remain underway. They also cited the need to ensure the safety of seafarers and ships and uphold the freedom of navigation in and overflight above the SCS.
The maritime domain, they said, should be recognized as 'a sea of peace, stability, prosperity, and sustainable development.' ASEAN called for the 'full and effective implementation' of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), signed on Nov. 4, 2002, by the member-states and China, to maintain peace and stability in the SCS.
In a press conference following the conclusion of the summit on Friday, Marcos expressed optimism that there would be COC by yearend, acknowledging that the situation in the SCS becomes 'more unreadable.' 'So, again, that is one of our aspirations as Chair of ASEAN for 2026, that we find at the end of the year, that we actually have a code of conduct,' he said.
