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‘Major progress’ on South China Sea code of conduct talks even as Beijing warns other countries against ‘sowing distrust’
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hails ‘important step’ after meeting Asean counterparts in Bangkok
- Talks on the code follow disputes between China and both Vietnam and the Philippines
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China and the Asean countries have moved a step closer to agreeing a joint code of conduct for the South China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday announced that China and the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations had completed the first reading of the text to negotiate the code of conduct ahead of schedule.
The text forms the basis of future discussions on a system to manage and resolve disputes in one of the world’s busiest waterways, that Beijing hopes to finalise by 2021. It has competing claims to the South China Sea with Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
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Wang, who met foreign ministers from the Asean countries in Bangkok, said the completion of the first reading marked “new, major progress”.
“[It] is an important step towards the goal of concluding the consultations within three years’ time,” he said, according to Xinhua.
Wang also warned outside nations against any attempt to sow discord between Beijing and Southeast Asian countries by playing up disputes over the South China Sea, saying differences can be resolved peacefully between the affected parties themselves.
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