Foreign Minister Sugiono hopes South China Sea Code of Conduct negotiations will not drag on

Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono hopes that the Code of Conduct (CoC) for the South China Sea can be completed and signed this year so that it does not drag on further. “We hope the CoC can be signed this year. We will find a way for the (CoC) discussions not to drag on any longer,” Sugiono said in a brief interview in Jakarta on Thursday. In March, China’s Ambassador to ASEAN, Wang Qing, emphasised that China has a solid political commitment to finalising the South China Sea Code of Conduct in line with this year’s target. According to Ambassador Wang, this commitment was previously reaffirmed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi following China’s annual political session known as the “Two Sessions” some time ago. “Now we want to work together with ASEAN countries to make the South China Sea a sea of peace and cooperation,” said Ambassador Wang, while emphasising the strategic position of the sea region for global commodity shipping. During the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) Retreat at the foreign minister level in January, the foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries agreed on a joint commitment to finalise the code of conduct by 2026. They also welcomed the progress achieved in the ongoing negotiations on the disputed code of conduct involving several countries, including China, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Negotiations on the South China Sea Code of Conduct began to be initiated following the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DoC) in November 2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.