ID :
196347
Thu, 07/21/2011 - 16:29
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/196347
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ASEAN, China ministers endorse guidelines to govern S. China Sea+
NUSA DUA, Indonesia, July 21 Kyodo -
The foreign ministers of China and member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Thursday formally endorsed freshly concluded guidelines that would govern behavior in disputed areas in the South China Sea.
''Finally, after five to six years of working hard, the foreign ministers (have agreed and endorsed) the guidelines on the South China Sea,'' Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told journalists after a meeting between ASEAN foreign ministers and their Chinese counterpart in Bali, Indonesia.
''It is now time for us to create a condition that is more conducive and peaceful in the South China Sea,'' he said.
Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said the foreign ministers have ''formally endorsed'' the document, which analysts hope will help build confidence and reduce tension among claimant states in the sea.
''We encourage China and ASEAN countries to start the implementation fully and comprehensively of the (declaration) and start launching the implementation of cooperative projects,'' Liu said at a news conference.
Liu said he told his colleagues in ASEAN that the document is a ''move forward'' in ASEAN-China relations.
Senior officials of ASEAN and China on Wednesday agreed on guidelines to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea which ASEAN and China signed in 2002.
According to the document, China and ASEAN reaffirm the DOC ''is a milestone document signed between the ASEAN member states and China, embodying their collective commitment to promoting peace, stability and mutual trust and to ensuring the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea.''
''The decision to implement concrete measures or activities of the DOC should be based on consensus among parties concerned, and lead to the eventual realization of a Code of Conduct,'' it said.
The guidelines said progress of the implementation of the agreed activities and projects under the DOC ''shall be reported annually'' to an ASEAN-China ministerial meeting.
The South China Sea, which contains some of the world's busiest shipping lanes and is believed to be rich in oil and gas, is claimed in whole by China, Taiwan and Vietnam and in part by Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
==Kyodo
The foreign ministers of China and member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Thursday formally endorsed freshly concluded guidelines that would govern behavior in disputed areas in the South China Sea.
''Finally, after five to six years of working hard, the foreign ministers (have agreed and endorsed) the guidelines on the South China Sea,'' Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told journalists after a meeting between ASEAN foreign ministers and their Chinese counterpart in Bali, Indonesia.
''It is now time for us to create a condition that is more conducive and peaceful in the South China Sea,'' he said.
Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said the foreign ministers have ''formally endorsed'' the document, which analysts hope will help build confidence and reduce tension among claimant states in the sea.
''We encourage China and ASEAN countries to start the implementation fully and comprehensively of the (declaration) and start launching the implementation of cooperative projects,'' Liu said at a news conference.
Liu said he told his colleagues in ASEAN that the document is a ''move forward'' in ASEAN-China relations.
Senior officials of ASEAN and China on Wednesday agreed on guidelines to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea which ASEAN and China signed in 2002.
According to the document, China and ASEAN reaffirm the DOC ''is a milestone document signed between the ASEAN member states and China, embodying their collective commitment to promoting peace, stability and mutual trust and to ensuring the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea.''
''The decision to implement concrete measures or activities of the DOC should be based on consensus among parties concerned, and lead to the eventual realization of a Code of Conduct,'' it said.
The guidelines said progress of the implementation of the agreed activities and projects under the DOC ''shall be reported annually'' to an ASEAN-China ministerial meeting.
The South China Sea, which contains some of the world's busiest shipping lanes and is believed to be rich in oil and gas, is claimed in whole by China, Taiwan and Vietnam and in part by Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
==Kyodo
