SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE
The South China Sea dispute was also discussed in the meetings.
“Concerns were expressed by some ministers on the land reclamations, activities, serious incidents in the area, including actions that put the safety of all persons at risk, (and) damage to the marine environment,” the ministers said in the communique.
They said it has eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions, and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region.
“We reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea and recognised the benefits of having the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability, and prosperity.”
Earlier on Thursday, ASEAN’s foreign minister met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi. They agreed on guidelines to accelerate the negotiation of the code of conduct for the South China Sea.
China claims much of the South China Sea, but ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam are also claimant states.
For years, ASEAN countries and the United States have challenged China’s territorial claims and tried negotiating a code of conduct to resolve disputes.
However, negotiations have stalled due to various reasons, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which made it more difficult to hold in-person meetings.
“We emphasised the need to maintain and promote an environment conducive to the code of conduct negotiations, and thus welcomed practical measures that could reduce tensions and the risk of accidents, misunderstandings, and miscalculation,” added the ministers in the joint communique.