Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page A3

February 14, 2018

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » Nation

Date set for code of conduct talks on South China Sea

Source: Xinhua | 00:01 UTC+8 February 14, 2018 | Print Edition

CHINA and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will start consultation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea early next month, according to a consultative meeting between China and the Philippines yesterday.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou and Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Enrique Manalo held the second meeting of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea in Manila yesterday.

“With the objective of maintaining and promoting peace and stability in the region, both sides discussed ways to manage and prevent incidents at sea, promote dialog and cooperation on maritime issues, and enhance mutual trust and confidence,” said a statement issued after the one-day meeting, adding that they “had a positive, fruitful and productive meeting.”

The technical working groups identified a number of possible cooperative initiatives that can be explored in the future, with both sides reaffirming that contentious maritime issues are not the sum total of the China-Philippines relationship.

“Both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace and stability, freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea, freedom of international commerce and other peaceful uses of the sea, addressing territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means,” the statement said.

They would do so “without resorting to the threat or use of force, through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned, in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations and the 1982 UNCLOS (the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).”

The statement said both sides also agreed to continue discussions on confidence-building measures to increase mutual trust and confidence, and exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities in the South China Sea that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability.

“There were intensive discussions on mutually beneficial joint initiatives and consensus on the convening of technical working groups in the areas of fisheries, oil and gas, marine scientific research and marine environmental protection, and political security, in the framework of the BCM,” it said.

Both sides highlighted the importance of the BCM as a consultation mechanism that would continue to contribute to the stable growth of bilateral relations.

The statement added that both sides had a frank, cordial exchange of views on issues of concern on the South China Sea during the meeting.

Both sides “had productive exchange of views on ways to strengthen cooperation in areas such as marine environmental protection, fisheries, marine scientific research, and oil and gas, without prejudice to their respective positions on sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction.”

The third meeting of the BCM will be held in China in the second half of 2018.

Nation


 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend