How to build a sea of peace and amity

The Special China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, to be held in Beijing on Aug 29 to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership, will focus mainly on deepening of relations between the two sides.

China and some ASEAN member states have been involved in territorial disputes in the South China Sea. To defuse the tensions, however, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has proposed that the parties work out a Code of Conduct and ensure the success of the Beijing meeting on the key documents related to dispute management .

Wang's proposal has four key elements. First, each party should have a realistic expectation from the talks. He said that it would be neither realistic nor serious to talk about a "quick fix (solution)". Since a COC concerns the interests of all the parties, its formulation will be a process of sophisticated and complex coordination.

Second, to reach a consensus on a COC, the parties should draw inspiration from the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) to push ahead the consultations on a COC. The idea, however, should be to seek a broad consensus to take care of the interests of all parties and ensure that no party imposes its will on others.

Third, China and ASEAN member states should prevent non-regional countries from interfering in their disputes. The interference of external parties has for years thwarted the efforts of China and ASEAN members to give shape to a COC. For instance, a joint working group was founded in 2004 for the implementation of the DOC, followed by eight meetings since 2005. But these efforts have failed to facilitate an agreement on a regional COC because of some irrelevant parties' interference. So China and ASEAN member states should make concerted efforts to build an atmosphere conducive to the formulation of a COC.

Fourth, the two sides should take a step-by-step approach to formulate a COC. The South China Sea disputes are extremely sensitive and cannot be resolved overnight. Therefore, the two sides have to work on a COC within the framework of the DOC and keep in mind that a COC is not intended to replace the DOC.