Qin made the statement while speaking at a joint presser with his Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, in Jakarta on Wednesday for the 4th Indonesia-China Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC). It was his first visit to the region since taking office at the end of 2022.
“Both China and Indonesia will work with other ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the DoC (Declaration of Conduct) to speed up consultation of CoC to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea,” he affirmed.
Beijing has claimed much of SCS and even built island reclamation over the waterway.
However, China’s claim on the SCS overlaps with other claims from Taiwan and four ASEAN countries: the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Vietnam.
In 2002, China and ASEAN countries agreed to work on creating a DoC on the SCS. It marked Beijing's first endorsement of a multilateral agreement on this matter.
The DoC was formulated for some purposes, such as to promote trust among disputed countries and prepare a CoC document that is formal and legally binding.
Nevertheless, negotiations on the code between China and ASEAN have yet to be completed since then due to COVID-19 restrictions, among other factors.
Hence, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marsudi is committed to intensifying negotiations under Indonesia’s chairmanship in the ASEAN this year.
The first round of CoC negotiations this year is scheduled in March.
“Negotiations on the code of conduct will be held again and intensified in-person. Indonesia and ASEAN wish to produce a substantive, effective, and actionable CoC,” Marsudi affirmed.
Related news: Indonesia, China to strengthen trade, investment cooperation
Related news: President Jokowi receives visit of China's foreign affairs minister
Related news: Workshop on South China Sea yields positive, concrete achievements
Reporter: Shofi Ayudiana
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
