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SEAN and China are finally launching negotiations on a long-delayed sea code that will govern how countries will interact with one another in the disputed South China Sea (SCS), officials revealed during a summit.

Jose Tavares, the Foreign Ministry’s director general for ASEAN affairs, said that both sides would earnestly begin with negotiations on the code of conduct (CoC) for the SCS, even though the specific timeline was still under discussion.

On the sidelines of the 20th ASEAN-China Summit on Monday, Jose told to The Jakarta Post that the start of the negotiations would be reflected in several ASEAN statements, including the chairman’s statement, which had not been released by press time.

The Indonesian delegation was led by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who underscored the importance for both parties to begin negotiations and work toward a fast conclusion.

“[The President] stressed that ASEAN and China must prove their commitment to the early conclusion of the CoC,” Jose said in a short message.

Beijing’s delegation, led by Premier Li Keqiang, reportedly insisted that China honored freedom of navigation, saying that the East Asian giant was “ready to speed up the CoC.”

“Together we can uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea,” Li told his ASEAN counterparts, as quoted by an official close to the discussions.

At the outset of the meeting, Li said that China was committed to working with ASEAN as good neighbors, friends and partners and that they would get together “rain or shine.”

“[Beijing is] committed to working with ASEAN to build a community with a future featuring common ideals, prosperity and responsibility,” he said.

The show of goodwill on China’s side was muddled by the fact that a fixed timeline had not been determined.

“The summit just finished. ASEAN-China leaders agreed on a start of talks on CoC. The chair’s statement to reflect this agreement to be issued soonest. No specific timeline was agreed upon. We will announce these details in due course,” said the spokesman of the Philippine foreign affairs department, Robespierre Bolivar.

However, another source told the Post that negotiations could begin early next year.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi hinted on Sunday evening that ASEAN and China would focus on the SCS dispute and would eventually announce the start of CoC negotiations.

In the draft of the ASEAN chairman’s statement for the ASEAN-China dialogue, a copy of which was obtained by the Post, leaders announced that “as a next step,” both sides will “officially commence negotiations on the CoC.”

The push for earnest talks on the CoC comes 15 years after the adoption of the 2002 Declaration of Conduct (DoC) by ASEAN and China, which stipulates that both parties must demonstrate the good will to engage in trust-building activities that aim to lessen the rivalries among claimant states.

China has made sweeping claims over the SCS, through which a significant amount of sea trade flows each year.

The claims are contested by ASEAN members Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Indonesia is a non-claimant in the dispute, but has an overlapping claim with China in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the North Natuna Sea.