ASEAN Secretary General Dato Lim Jock Ho. Source: Xinhua

He told an online meeting during the 11th Roundtable held by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia and the Khmer Times in Phnom Penh that ASEAN-China hope that negotiations on the COC will progress swiftly. “I think we are done with the first draft, we are going to the second so we hope that negotiations on COC will continue in physical manner as we are able to open our economy. (This is a) work in progress and hope that this can be done in expeditious manner,” Lim said.

According to the ASEAN chief, despite multiple challenges, ASEAN member countries and China have made efforts to resume negotiations on COC and maintain the momentum of this process through online platforms and conferences. He added that ASEAN will continue to work with China on ways to enhance trust and confidence among the parties to create a favorable environment for COC negotiations.