Hanoi (VNA) – ASEAN member nations and China are committed to completing acode of conduct (COC) to handle disputes in the East Sea, said SingaporeanMinister of Defence Ng Eng Hen.
Theapproach of the ASEAN member states to this issue has been a "pragmaticone", he said at the recent Munich Security Conference in Germany, notingthat the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, signed by ASEANand China in 2002, took more than five years.
Accordingto the minister, the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting has worked hard to produceconsensus on practical measures that prevent mishaps and miscalculations, andto de-escalate issues.
Allcountries have recognised the critical need for peace and stability in the EastSea because an estimated one-third of all global shipping passes through thewaters, Ng said.
ASEANand China officially approved the draft framework of the COC in the East Sea inAugust 2017 after four years of negotiations.
The move was the firststep of the pragmatic negotiation process for the effective and legally-bindingCOC, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region.
The two sides arescheduled to officially start negotiations for COC in early March.-VNA