Do not let S China Sea issue undermine China-ASEAN ties

Do not let S China Sea issue undermine China-ASEAN ties

High ranking officials from China and ASEAN member countries reached consensus on the guideline and text of the "Declaration on the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea" on July 20, which is regarded as a milestone for promoting peace in the region and enhancing China-ASEAN cooperation.

The declaration was signed by China and ASEAN member countries in November 2002. China has been strictly following it in recent years and kept a sound momentum of negotiation with ASEAN countries in implementing it. The consensus reached this time aims to boost pragmatic cooperation and enlarge the areas of cooperation from three to six. The move clearly demonstrates most of the ASEAN countries, which are like China, are in favor of enhancing active collaboration.

The issue of South China Sea is not among the top priorities on the agenda of China-ASEAN development. It has heated up recently because some countries attempted to set their self interests up over those of other countries, and external forces took the opportunity to meddle in.

In fact, much work needs to be done to follow up in the process of ASEAN's internal restructuring and growth, the development of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area as well as the development of ASEAN plus China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (10+3). The South China Sea issue can only be solved through overall promotion of China-ASEAN relations, particularly the favorable conditions that all sides jointly develop.