August 3, 2018

Asean and China have agreed on a single text to negotiate the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said yesterday.

They have also agreed on the "key modalities" for future rounds of negotiations, he said in opening remarks at the Asean-China Ministerial Meeting, one of several related meetings held alongside the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Singapore this week.

Dr Balakrishnan said the single draft negotiating text will be the basis for future Code of Conduct (COC) negotiations and a living document. This means it will be edited and updated continually.

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https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/asean-china-agree-on-text-to-negotiate-south-china-sea-code