While ASEAN and China adopting a code of conduct framework on the South China Sea is “good news”, Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan says he does not want to “trivialise how difficult negotiations will be going forward.”
MANILA: While ASEAN and China adopting a code of conduct framework on the South China Sea is “good news”, Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan says he does not want to “trivialise how difficult negotiations will be going forward.”
ASEAN and China adopted the framework on Sunday (Aug 6) , with leaders expected to announce the formal start of negotiations on the code of conduct at the ASEAN Summit in November.
“Overall, the tone was positive, the situation is calmer, although some claimant states still continue to have concerns, which were expressed and echoed in the joint communique, ” Dr Balakrishnan told Singapore reporters after a day of meetings.
He added the point is that progress has been made and the key index of this is the adoption of the framework.
“This is an important document because it represents, in a sense, consensus and more important than that, a commitment on behalf of all the 10 ASEAN states and China to make progress on this long overdue issue.
