(VOVworld) – Senior officials from ASEAN have agreed on the bloc’s stance on major components of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea. Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh told domestic reporters that ASEAN has clarified its intention that COC should be a tool to contribute more effectively to peace, security and stability in the East Sea. ASEAN’s common approach is that COC should be based and developed from the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). The bloc’s common stance on COC includes: principles of respecting international laws, UN charters, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

COC aims create a law-based framework to adjust behaviors of parties concerned in the East Sea and regulations on obligations and behaviors of parties concerned. ASEAN holds that COC should inherit positive points of the DOC and upgrade it based on the review of 10 year implementation of the DOC to meet the demands of the new situation. ASEAN wants that COC should bear higher binding commitment than DOC, including monitoring mechanism and implementation assurance. A new regulation should be added, underlining the principles of respecting the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of coastal countries in accordance with UNCLOS.

Deputy Foreign Minister Vinh said ASEAN will soon negotiate with China on COC and that the major components of COC serve as a foundation for ASEAN to exchange its views with China. Vinh added the process will not be easy due to their differences. The Deputy FM stressed the need to support ASEAN’s views on COC, which stems from its wish for peace, security, stability and cooperation in the East Sea.