ASEAN, China talk on East Sea

HA NOI — Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh and his Chinese counterpart, Cheng Guoping, yesterday concluded a two-day meeting of senior officials from ASEAN and China on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of Parties on the East Sea

Both sides agreed on the commitment to implement the declaration and create a Code of Conduct on the East Sea. They also spoke of the need to maintain peace, stability, maritime security and safety, confidence-building co-operation, and the peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international laws, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The meeting also re-assessed the implementation of DOC, especially in restarting the ASEAN-China senior officials' meeting and reaffirmed that the declaration was an important document for building build trust in the region.

ASEAN also suggested the need to soon start working with China on creating the Code of Conduct. — VNS