Deputy Director-General of the ASEAN Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vu Ho joint other ASEAN and Chinese senior officials in a workshop marking the 10th anniversary of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) on November 1 in Phnom Penh.

Addressing the event, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said the workshop is an opportunity for ASEAN and China to exchange measures on how to keep the DOC alive in dealing with the current situation in the East Sea.

He reiterated that the association of Southeast Asian Nations and China had signed the DOC in Phnom Penh in 2002, when Cambodia chaired ASEAN for the very first time, in order to transform the East Sea into a sea of peace, stability, friendship and cooperation for mutual benefits and interests.

The agreement to sign the DOC at the level of foreign ministers meant that ASEAN and China were committed to settle disputes in the East Sea through peaceful methods, he said.

The foreign ministers of ASEAN and China reached an agreement on the DOC Guidelines at a meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in July 2011, paving the way for effective implementation of the DOC, said

Hor Namhong added that the two sides should fully implement the DOC by identifying concrete activities for mutual interests and engaging in discussions on a step-by-step basis for the eventual adoption of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

Addressing the event, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying said the two-day workshop was a rare opportunity to further enhance mutual trust, promote cooperation, jointly safeguard peace and stability in the East Sea .

She said China is committed to the full and effective implementation of the DOC, suggesting that the two sides should work toward the eventual adoption of a COC in a gradual way.

ASEAN consist of ten member countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.-VNA