2023-07-13 09:22:02
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — China and Southeast Asian nations agreed Thursday to try to complete a long-delayed non-aggression pact in three years to prevent frequent territorial disputes in the busy South China Sea from escalating into a major armed conflict. .
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed on Thursday at a meeting between the foreign ministers of the 10-nation bloc and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on the roadmap for completing its code. of conduct before the fall of 2026, a Southeast Asian diplomat who participated in the negotiations in the Indonesian capital Jakarta told The Associated Press.
The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not have the authority to comment publicly on the matter before the official announcement of the agreement.
China and four ASEAN member states – Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam – as well as Taiwan have been locked in a territorial battle for decades over the disputed waters, a major transit zone for global trade and believed to be home to vast undersea reserves. of gas and oil.
It has long been feared that the disputed territory could spark clashes in Asia, and the area has become a flashpoint in the Sino-US rivalry in the region.
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Associated Press writer Edna Tarigan contributed to this report.
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