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MANILA / AP
Australia urged Southeast Asian nations and China to conclude a legally binding code of conduct in the South China Sea as soon as possible, voicing concern on Thursday about the scale of reclamation and construction by China in the disputed territory.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, speaking in Manila, urged the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China to go beyond ongoing discussions to craft a framework of the code of conduct and rapidly conclude an enforceable regional nonaggression pact.
“We believe that ASEAN should drive for an enforceable code of conduct,†Bishop told the forum of the ADR Institute for Strategic and International Studies. “I would urge ASEAN under the Philippines’ leadership to go further and conclude a code of conduct as soon as possible.†Acting Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said in a separate news conference that diplomats from ASEAN member states and China were progressing in efforts to draft a framework of the code although he refused to provide details.
Negotiations for a stronger code of conduct in the disputed region have dragged on for years with China being blamed for stonewalling while it was quietly transforming seven disputed reefs into islands in recent years.
Critics of China’s assertive actions say Beijing may be giving a small concession by agreeing to complete a framework of the code because it has completed its current island-making works. China’s once-frosty ties with the Philippines have also turned around under President Rodrigo Duterte, who has sought Chinese investments and aid while putting aside territorial disputes with Beijing. Duterte holds ASEAN’s rotating chairmanship this year and will host its annual summits of its heads of state with other Asian and Western leaders.
Bishop said an enforceable code of conduct could be based on the recommendations made by the Hague-based arbitration tribunal last year when it ruled on a case filed by the Philippines against China.