Indonesia ready to work with countries to finalise South China Sea code, says foreign minister
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Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, seen here in an October 2023 photo, spoke about the long-delayed code of conduct for the South China Sea on Jan 9, 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MANILA – Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Jan 9 that her country is ready to work with other South-east Asian nations to finalise a long-delayed code of conduct for the South China Sea,
“On the South China Sea, Indonesia is ready to work together with all Asean member states including the Philippines to finalise the code of conduct as soon as possible,” Ms Retno said at a joint press conference with her Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo in Manila, ahead of a visit by Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
Asean and China have for years been trying to create a framework to negotiate a code of conduct, a plan dating as far back as 2002.
But progress has been slow despite commitments by all parties to advance and expedite the process.
China stakes its claim on its maps with the use of a “nine-dash line” that loops as far as 1,500km south of its mainland, cutting into the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
A 2016 international arbitral tribunal ruling invalidated most of China’s claims, a decision that Beijing has rejected. REUTERS
