Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh and his Chinese counterpart Fu Ying on July 8 co-chaired the ASEAN-China Informal consultation on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The meeting saw the participation of representatives from 10 ASEAN member countries and China .

At the meeting, ASEAN will present a draft COC compiled by its members for discussions in order to remove the two sides’ differences and reach a consensus on the COC.

Speaking at the opening, Vinh and Fu Ying said the event is one of the important steps towards COC, laying a legal framework for resolving disputes in the East Sea, with the purpose of maintaining peace, stability and cooperation in East Sea.

This is the first time ASEAN and China have gathered in an informal meeting since April this year. It is part of the 45 th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM45), and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

COC aims to legalise the Declaration on Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea (DOC), which was signed by the two sides at the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh in 2002.-VNA