Vietnam out of step with rest of ASEAN

At their meeting in Manila on Sunday, the foreign ministers of China and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations spoke highly of the achievements made in China-ASEAN ties over the past 15 years and agreed to push their cooperation to an even higher level.

They also expressed satisfaction over the framework for a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and agreed to make joint efforts so that their negotiations on a code of behavior in the waters can be started within the year.

As a hard-won result achieved through the joint efforts of the two sides to reach an agreement, the document mirrors the shared commitment to build peace and stability in the waters demonstrated by China and the ASEAN countries recently.