The naval chiefs from the US and dozens of Asian-Pacific nations,including Vietnam, on April 22 adopted a code of conduct aimed atimproving communication at sea to reduce the possibility of conflict.
Australianmedia reports that the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea wasapproved by such countries as the US, China, Japan, the Philippines,Malaysia, and Vietnam at the Western Pacific Naval Symposium inthe eastern Chinese coastal city of Qingdao.
The pactoutlines how naval ships should communicate and manoeuvre when theyunexpectedly come into contact in sea lanes surrounding China, Japan andSoutheast Asia.
Although not legally binding, it is said to help establish international standards in relation to the use of the sea lanes.-VNA