Asian nations 'close to' accord on disputed waters

Asian nations 'close to' accord on disputed waters

BEIJING (AP): Asian nations are close to agreeing on rules to govern their conduct in the disputed South China Sea, a Chinese Foreign Ministry official said on Wednesday.

China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are expected to discuss the code next week at a meeting in Vietnam, said Fu Ying, director of the Foreign Ministry's Asia Department.

ASEAN is made up of Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia.

"We've covered most of the items for a code of conduct and consensus has been reached, I think, on the majority of the elements," Fu said at a briefing for reporters on the meeting.

"I don't know yet if there will be a final conclusion but I think it's near, it's not very difficult," she said.

The South China Sea is considered one of Asia's most dangerous potential flashpoints. Six governments have conflicting claims in the area.

Busy shipping lanes pass through the South China Sea, which also has rich fishing grounds and is thought to lie atop oil and gas deposits.

Fu said some ASEAN countries disagree about which areas should be covered by the code of conduct, but did not say which countries.

She said China was flexible and willing for the code to cover either the South China Sea or just the contested Spratly Islands.

The code would focus on a commitment to peacefully resolve disputes in the area, said Fu.

"But if there's no progress there isn't much to talk about," she said. "We have to wait for the ASEAN countries to sort out their differences."