MIMA: COC Negotiation Will Take Time

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) -- The negotiation process on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea between ASEAN and China is expected to take some time before being finalised, opined Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) chairman, Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor. He said the opinion was based on the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) which was signed in 2002, after 10 years of prolonged negotiations. "If the DOC negotiation, which was not bound by law, took 10 years (to conclude), the COC negotiation, bound by law and to be agreed to by all parties, especially China, started just about two years ago," he told reporters here, Friday. China and ASEAN countries signed the DOC in 2002, a fundamental document for maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea. Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam, along with Taiwan are involved in a maritime territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea. Ahmad Ramli said the COC negotiation duration would also be influenced by current issues between the countries involved. He said a thorough negotiation is needed as it was a complex issue, involving many countries. Malaysia, he said, should take advantage of its role as the ASEAN chair this year to highlight the matter, for an early resolution. --BERNAMA