China seeks framework to resolve sea disputes

BEIJING - China has long sought a regional code of conduct for the South China Sea, which some Southeast Asian nations are calling for, to help properly settle territorial disputes there, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Tuesday.

Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin made the remarks at a briefing about Premier Wen Jiabao's attendance at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia summits on the Indonesian island of Bali later this week.

"China and ASEAN countries set enacting a code of conduct (COC) as a goal in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) signed in 2002," Liu said.