00:00ASEAN nations have called for an early conclusion of the Code of Conduct, or COC, in the South
00:08China Sea, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
00:13In his address at the 27th ASEAN-China Summit in Vientiane on Thursday, Anwar said ASEAN
00:19reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea in accordance
00:25with recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the
00:31Law of the Sea.
00:33Chinese Premier Li Cheng was also present.
00:36It was reported in March that the second reading of the COC had been completed, and it is now
00:41entering its third reading.
00:44The South China Sea has been a contentious issue in the region after China claims nearly
00:48the entire region, despite overlapping maritime claims by Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam
00:55and Brunei.
00:57At the meeting, Li Cheng and Laos Prime Minister Sonekse Sifandone revealed that ASEAN and
01:03China have reached a substantive conclusion of negotiations for the ASEAN-China Free Trade
01:09Area 3.0 upgrade.
01:12Sonekse said the agreement, expected to be finalized by 2025, aims to deepen economic
01:18ties and enhance market integration between the two sides.
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