Saratok: Malaysia is once again hosting key ASEAN-China negotiations on the South China Sea, with the 48th Meeting of the ASEAN-China Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (JWG-DOC) and the 24th ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration (SOM-DOC) taking place here from today until August 14.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma Putra) announced that the meetings aim to further strengthen the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), which was signed on November 4, 2002, by ASEAN Member States and China. The DOC reflects the shared commitment of ASEAN and China to work towards finalizing a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC), envisioned to contribute to regional peace, security, and stability. Under the DOC framework, various cooperative initiatives have been undertaken to build trust, confidence, and promote constructive dialogue in addressing differences.
The statement further mentioned that ASEAN and China are actively engaged in developing the COC through the established mechanisms of the JWG-DOC and SOM-DOC. As ASEAN Chair in 2025 and Country Coordinator for ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations from August 2024 to July 2027, Malaysia also serves as Co-Chair alongside China in steering discussions on the implementation of the DOC and COC negotiations. Malaysia is committed to ensuring the effective implementation of the DOC by all parties while advancing a substantive and effective COC that constructively addresses key issues in the South China Sea, safeguarding its sovereignty, sovereign rights, and national interests.
This year, five rounds of COC negotiations are being held in various ASEAN and Chinese cities, including Jakarta in February, Manila in April, Kuching in August, Singapore in September, and China in November. Malaysia last hosted these meetings in 2019. Wisma Putra stated that this year’s hosting reflects the country’s ongoing commitment to fostering regional dialogue and cooperation under the ASEAN-China framework, particularly in promoting peace, stability, mutual trust, and the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea.