BANGKOK: Southeast Asian nations yesterday vowed unity in pressing China to accept a binding code of conduct for handling disputes in the South China Sea, the Thai foreign ministry said.
Competing claims to the sea have for decades stirred tension in the region and the waterway, which is believed to sit atop vast deposits of oil and natural gas, has long been seen as one of Asia’s potential military flashpoints.
Foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed “to speak in one voice” while seeking an “early conclusion of a code of conduct”, a foreign ministry spokesman said, without giving a time frame.
The ministers, who held a two-day informal meeting in Thailand’s Hua Hin resort town, will meet Chinese officials in Beijing at the end of the month.
“Asean will have to speak with one voice and be unified. This does not mean speaking against anyone... Asean is united so it’s easy to discuss and talk with it,” the spokesman added.
“The code of conduct should have the objective of enhancing confidence between Asean and China... and preventing any untoward incidents from taking place in the South China Sea.”
AFP
