US and Chinese air forces urged to sign up to South China Sea guidelines after Asean states agree on code of conduct
- Rules designed to reduce risk of accidents over disputed waters agreed at defence ministers’ meeting in Singapore
- Washington and Beijing urged to adopt similar guidelines
Defence ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed a set of guidelines for warplanes flying over the disputed South China Sea, and will invite China and the US to sign up to the same code of conduct.
Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced the agreement at the annual Asean defence ministers’ meeting in Singapore, which ended on Friday.
The guidelines would reduce the risk of air accidents, Ng said. “[They] are like a seat belt. They do not completely protect you but at least they provide some protection.”
The bloc’s dialogue partners – Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States – would be urged to adopt the guidelines at the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus on Saturday, he said.
The new guidelines on air encounters relate to airspace above the disputed South China Sea, whose islands and reefs are the subject of numerous territorial disputes involving Beijing, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.