Foreign Minister of Singapore Vivian Balakrishnan (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Speaking at the ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting on the sidelines
of the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Singapore on August 2, Foreign
Minister of the host nation Vivian Balakrishnan called it a "milestone” in the
COC process since the ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Meeting on the
Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea
(DOC) in China last June.
He said the text will be "a living document and the basis of future COC
negotiations”, adding that both sides also agreed on the key modalities for
future rounds of negotiations.
Negotiations on the COC have been conducted for more than a decade with a
number of difficulties regarding its terms and pace of the talks. However,
there have been clear signs of ASEAN having a more unanimous viewpoint on the
East Sea issue in recent years.
In August 2017, foreign ministers of ASEAN and China adopted a draft framework
for COC negotiations, a move hailed as progress in the settlement of East Sea
tensions.
In March this year, a joint working group meeting was held on the
implementation of the DOC.
Meanwhile, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said last April that
negotiations on the COC will not be easy, but he stressed it is important for
the countries involved to engage in constructive talks to prevent tensions from
escalating.
Minister Balakrishnan said China is one of the most substantive dialogue
partners of ASEAN and both sides have achieved much over the past three years,
with cooperation underpinned by robust economic linkages.
He also stressed that such strong and substantive cooperation is only possible
with mutual trust and confidence and resolving differences peacefully and in
the spirit of goodwill.
Source: VNA
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