Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has called for an early conclusion of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea at the 27th ASEAN - China Summit, which was held in Vientiane, Laos, on October 10.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who delivered the ASEAN Common Statement at the summit, said ASEAN reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea, according to the Prime Minister's Office.
Malaysia served as the country coordinator for the ASEAN - China Summit, which was held as part of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits from October 9 to 11.
He said that this is in accordance with the universally recognised principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea 1982 (UNCLOS).
Leaders of ASEAN member states and China are currently engaged in negotiations of the COC in the East Sea with the second reading of the negotiating text completed last year.
Anwar said ASEAN and China have been each other’s largest trading partners since 2020 with trade volume reaching 696.7 billion USD in 2023.
He stressed that ASEAN also welcomed China’s support for energy transition efforts and encouraged collaboration in emerging technologies like robotics and artificial intelligence.
ASEAN welcomed the Joint Statement on Deepening Cooperation in People-to- People Exchanges as well as China’s proposal to extend the ASEAN-China Year of People-to-People Exchanges to 2025.
The ASEAN-China partnership has significantly contributed to ASEAN Community building efforts, as well as the common goal of maintaining and promoting peace, stability and cooperation in the region./.
