Call comes as Beijing announces latest air force drill over disputed waters, but Singapore says it is ‘unrealistic’ to expect consensus to be reached this year
Defence ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said in Singapore on Wednesday they wanted to expedite negotiations on a code of conduct for the South China Sea and another for unexpected encounters in the air over the disputed waterway.
The call came shortly before China’s air force announced that its Su-35 fighter jets had recently taken part in a combat patrol over the sea.
The statement did not say exactly when the exercise took place but said it was part of the air force’s ongoing blue-water training.
China has intensified its air and naval drills in the South China Sea in recent months, triggering concerns among its neighbours in the region. In November, H-6K bombers and fighter jets from China’s air force flew through the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines, and along the Miyako Strait to the south of Japan.
South China Sea code of conduct talks to help stabilise region, says China’s premier
The Asean defence ministers said they were hoping to speed up negotiations with China on a code of conduct, but the representative from the group’s current chair said it was unlikely to be achieved within the year.
“We hope it will be expedited but it’s a very, very complex issue,” Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said.
