The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) wants to pushforward the official consultation process in order to early achieve aCode of Conduct on the East Sea (COC), said Thailand’s acting ForeignMinister Sihasak Phungketkeow.
The Thai actingFM made the remark at a joint press conference after he and ChineseForeign Minister Wang Yi co-chaired the ASEAN-China meeting in theframework of the 47th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM-47) in Nay Pyi Taw,Myanmar, on August 9.
The ministers want to pushfor the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct ofParties on the East Sea (DOC) while further accelerating the officialconsultation process in order to early achieve the COC, he said.
The next round of talks on the COC is slated to take place inThailand in October, he said, adding that ASEAN hopes to achieveprogress in the discussions on the draft COC, first of all the measuresthat can be deployed in the medium term in order to promote trustbuilding and enhance cooperation.
On his part, FMWang Yi said Beijing is ready to discuss ways to conduct dialogue andcooperation with coastal countries in the East Sea to jointly maintainpeace, stability and development in the East Sea.
The sides have agreed to hold a special ASEAN-China Senior Officials’Meeting (SOM) in China in September and the 8th SOM and the 12th jointworking group meeting on DOC implementation in Thailand in October, Wangsaid.-VNA