Analysts from Singaporean and Malaysian think tanks say any agreement on the South China Sea code of conduct depends a lot on China, citing differing legal interpretations and Asean members’ fear of a harsh response from Beijing.
00:00Foreign policy experts believe it will be tough for ASEAN to finalize the long-awaited South China Sea Code of Conduct in 2026,
00:09the year when the Philippines leads the regional bloc at chair.
00:13Joanne Lin, senior fellow at Singapore's ICS Yusuf Ishak Institute, said it is almost certain the code will be among the new ASEAN chair's top priorities due to its escalating maritime tensions with China.
00:25Lin Tsaiwan Manila will push for a legally binding code of conduct. Progress will be hindered by China and ASEAN's disagreement on key issues concerning the South China Sea,
00:35such as the interpretation of international law and what activities the code should regulate.
00:40Thomas Benjamin Daniel of Malaysia's Institute of Strategic and International Studies said it is clear that more than a few ASEAN nations are hesitant about finalizing the code,
00:51especially for fear of drawing a harsh response from Beijing.
00:54Nevertheless, Malaysia is set to continue playing a key role in the code of conduct talks as it continues serving as the ASEAN-China relations coordinator until 2027.
01:05Daniel said Malaysia will be very involved in discussions next year as it continues coordinating talks between ASEAN and China with key deadlines already set.
01:15In 2016, the permanent court of arbitration in The Hague ruled that China had no basis for its territorial claims in the South China Sea.
01:24However, the major power has continued to assert sovereignty over almost the entire maritime region, leading to repeated clashes, particularly between Filipino and Chinese vessels, which have even led to collisions.
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