Mutual trust key to peaceful South China Sea

Since the second half of 2016, the situation in the South China Sea has been changing for the better, moving from confrontation to cooperation. In this process, China and ASEAN members are stepping up negotiation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and pushing forward discussions on practical cooperation, crisis management and confidence building, which actually began before 2016. This is a very positive development and will help maintain regional peace and stability.

First, the Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, the COC and confidence-building measures (or CBMs) are very important for maintaining maritime security in the South China Sea.

China has always held that the COC negotiation should work parallely with the full and effective implementation of the DOC. The COC is not a substitute for the DOC but an updated version. The COC framework has made it clear that just like DOC, in essence, the COC, is not a tool for solving territorial disputes and maritime delimitation, but a mechanism for crisis management, confidence building and maritime cooperation.