ASEAN, China agree to start talks on South China Sea COC

FILE: This handout photo taken on March 17, 2015 by satellite imagery provider DigitalGlobe and released to AFP by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSSI) think tank shows a satellite image of vessels purportedly dredging sand at Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea. The series of satellite images posted on the website of the Center for Strategic and International Studies last week show a flotilla of Chinese vessels dredging sand onto Mischief Reef and the resulting land spreading in size. Beijing on April 9 reaffirmed its right to build on the disputed islands after the satellite imagery emerged of construction operations turning tropical reefs into concrete artificial islands. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all have overlapping claims in the area. (AFP Photo / CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative / DigitalGlobe)

MANILA — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China have agreed to start negotiations on a code of conduct on the South China Sea, Malacañang said Monday.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the code of conduct in the disputed waters was among the outcomes during the meeting between ASEAN leaders and China.

“One of the outcomes of the meetings is to commence the negotiations on a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea after concluding the Framework Agreement on Code of Conduct,” Roque said.

In August, ASEAN foreign ministers and their Chinese counterparts approved a framework for a Code of Conduct (COC) on the disputed waters.

Meanwhile, other outcomes in the ASEAN-China Summit which President Rodrigo Duterte chaired included the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on Comprehensively Strengthening Effective Anti-Corruption Cooperation; the ASEAN-China Leaders’ Statement on Tourism Cooperation; and the Joint Statement between China and ASEAN on Further Deepening the Cooperation of Infrastructure Connectivity.

“The President has expressed optimism about the future direction of ASEAN-China dialogue relations based on the substantive discussions during the ASEAN-China Summit this afternoon,” Roque said. (PNA)