Will South China Sea’s code of conduct remain elusive as deadline looms?
A long-awaited code of conduct (COC) for the South China Sea risks becoming a toothless agreement, analysts have warned, as Beijing and Southeast Asian nations scramble to hammer out a deal by the end of 2026. More than three decades since it was mooted, the proposed pact has remained gridlocked over how to balance competing territorial claims among China and four rival claimant states –…
The South China Sea's long-awaited code of conduct (COC) remains elusive, analysts say, as a deadline looms for a deal by the end of 2026. Over three decades since its conception, the pact has stalled due to disagreements on how to balance territorial claims between China and four Southeast Asian nations: Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, and the Philippines.
Experts at a Malaysia conference debated whether the COC could maintain peace, with China's researcher Ding Duo stating that it should focus on managing activities and preventing confrontations rather than resolving sovereignty disputes. Claimant states had differing opinions on permitted activities under the agreement, including operations with external powers.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has repeatedly urged restraint and clear rules in the COC, aiming to manage disputes in the contested waterway. However, the code's failure to materialize until now suggests a lack of commitment from parties to accept legally binding rules that could curtail their activities. Recent maritime confrontations, including clashes between China and Malaysia, as well as between the Philippines and China, highlight the challenges in reaching consensus on the COC.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
