ASEAN, China to iron out Spratlys

ASEAN, China to iron out Spratlys

SINGAPORE (AFP): Officials from ASEAN and China are to meet this month to discuss further a contentious code of conduct over disputed islands in the South China Sea, Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon said on Tuesday.

At issue in the proposed code is ASEAN's insistence that another disputed set of islands, the Paracels, be included in the draft, a move which Beijing rejects.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam are the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) laying claim to all or part of the Spratlys, along with China and Taiwan.

The Spratlys chain straddles vital shipping lanes and is believed to contain rich oil and gas reserves. The Paracels are also within the South China Sea, and Vietnam has challenged China's jurisdiction over the islands.