Sino-Asean ties key to peace in China Sea
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China and the Asean should work hard to boost practical cooperation and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, said a joint statement issued on Sunday by China and Cambodia.
The two countries agreed that “China and Asean countries shall continue to abide by the purpose and spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and give full play to all the existing mechanisms including the guidelines for the implementation of the DOC to make it a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation for China and Asean countries”.
Covering an area of more than 3.5 million square kilometres, the South China Sea is believed to hold vast deposits of oil and natural gas and is a conduit for more than one-third of the world’s seaborne trade and half its traffic in oil and gas. Yet recent years have seen overlapping claims in the Sea among China and four Asean countries – the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. Beijing opposes internationalising the conflict and prefers to negotiate directly with claimants.
