Asean’s ‘landmark’ South China Sea deal may not mean it will all be plain sailing in future
Both sides welcomed the new code of conduct agreed between the bloc and Beijing but doubts remain about how effective it will be
The Philippines has concluded its chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) with a series of landmark agreements.
Of crucial importance, however, was the finalisation of the framework of a much-ballyhooed Asean-China Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea. Both sides hailed it as a crucial milestone towards ensuring rule of law in the troubled waters.
After years of non-stop tensions among claimant states, this is undoubtedly the right step in the right direction. The challenge, however, is to make sure that the final COC will be negotiated expediently and has a consequential impact on the management and resolution of the decades-long disputes.
In its joint statement, Asean hailed the “adoption of the framework of the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea” as a crucial prerequisite for the “conclusion of a substantive and effective” final document.
The final stage of negotiations officially kicked off during the 20th Asean-China Summit on November 13, when Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met his Southeast Asian counterparts and discussed ways to “maintain peace, stability, freedom of navigation in” the disputed waters and the skies over them.