Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea will unlikely be completed this year, noting there was still a lot of work to be done. | ManilaBulletin
Manalo cited political issues, and the legality of the code of conduct are some of the issues that ASEAN and China still need to iron out.
Despite differences, Indonesia, the current ASEAN chair, said it remains committed to intensifying the negotiations.Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea will unlikely be completed this year, noting there was still a lot of work to be done., Manalo said there were still many things to consider, making it impossible to complete the COC negotiations within the year."We have bigger issues, too.
The Indonesian envoy explained that the biggest challenge among the parties involved having differences. "If you have differences, how could you meet? So, it's important to have a basis for a win-win approach, win-win interest, and a balance of interests between all parties concerned," he said,Negotiations on the COC resumed in Jakarta in early March. It was the 38th meeting of the Joint Working Group and will be held at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Secretariat.
The COC is expected to be one of the topics of discussion in the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Indonesia in May. Indonesia is the current chairman of the 10-country regional bloc.
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