International: The 25th Senior Officials’ Meeting between China and ASEAN countries on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) was held on Friday, January 30, in Cebu, the Philippines.

The meeting was co-chaired by Hou Yanqi, Director-General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Amran, Secretary-General of Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Senior officials and representatives from ASEAN member states attended the meeting.

All parties agreed that maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea is of paramount importance. They expressed support for strengthening dialogue, exercising restraint, properly managing differences, enhancing mutual trust, and safeguarding maritime stability. The participants also agreed to continue the full and effective implementation of the DOC and to deepen cooperation in areas such as marine environmental protection, scientific research, search and rescue operations, and maritime law enforcement.

During the meeting, all parties acknowledged the positive progress achieved in consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC). They reviewed and adopted a roadmap for the next phase of consultations and agreed to accelerate the consultation process with the aim of reaching a COC agreement at an early date.

It is worth noting that from January 30 to February 1, China and ASEAN countries are also holding the 51st Joint Working Group Meeting on the implementation of the Declaration of Conduct.

Source: Jinia-Touhid-Fei, China Media Group.