TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

ASEAN to jumpstart pandemic-era talks on South China Sea codex

Officials from China and ASEAN nations are revisiting the idea of negotiating in person a set of binding guidelines to prevent all-out conflict in the South China Sea, despite COVID-19 restrictions.

Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post)
Premium
Jakarta
Tue, January 26, 2021

Share This Article

Change Size

ASEAN to jumpstart pandemic-era talks on South China Sea codex Filipino fishermen sail past US coastguard ship Bertholf during a joint exercise between Philippine and US coastguards near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, on May 14, 2019. Two Chinese coastguard ships monitored the exercise. (AFP/Ted Aljibe)

A

fter more than a year without progress, ASEAN and China are looking into meeting again in person to continue negotiations for a Code of Conduct (COC) on the South China Sea, which is hoped to be concluded this year.

ASEAN foreign ministers met online last week to discuss various regional matters including progress on the COC – a requirement from the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea that remains elusive nearly two decades later.

Officials from both sides were looking at the possibility of having their negotiators meet in person, as opposed to engaging virtually, which has become the new norm under the COVID-19 pandemic, said Sidharto Suryodipuro, the Foreign Ministry’s director general for ASEAN affairs.

“There’s an urgency to continue the talks because of the delays in the past year,” he told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

Read also: South China Sea rules cannot be negotiated virtually: Indonesian official

The COC underpins efforts to prevent all-out conflict among South China Sea claimants, who are locked in overlapping territorial disputes in the busy trade route.

China has made sweeping yet illegal claims over much of the sea, including in areas also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. Indonesia, while not a claimant itself, has protested against China’s forays into waters under its economic jurisdiction.

to Read Full Story

  • Unlimited access to our web and app content
  • e-Post daily digital newspaper
  • No advertisements, no interruptions
  • Privileged access to our events and programs
  • Subscription to our newsletters
or

Purchase access to this article for

We accept

TJP - Visa
TJP - Mastercard
TJP - GoPay

Redirecting you to payment page

Pay per article

ASEAN to jumpstart pandemic-era talks on South China Sea codex

Rp 29,000 / article

1
Create your free account
By proceeding, you consent to the revised Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.
Already have an account?

2
  • Palmerat Barat No. 142-143
  • Central Jakarta
  • DKI Jakarta
  • Indonesia
  • 10270
  • +6283816779933
2
Total Rp 29,000
{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.