{"id":6748,"date":"2019-12-13T08:30:02","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T22:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/?p=6748"},"modified":"2020-03-18T13:48:05","modified_gmt":"2020-03-18T03:48:05","slug":"china-asean-south-china-sea-code-of-conduct-are-we-there-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/china-asean-south-china-sea-code-of-conduct-are-we-there-yet\/","title":{"rendered":"China-ASEAN South China Sea Code of Conduct \u2013 Are we there yet?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In June this year\nthe 35<sup>th<\/sup> ASEAN Summit delivered the release of ASEAN\u2019s long-awaited <em>Outlook on the Indo-Pacific<\/em>. The Outlook\nprovides a common script for ASEAN states when it comes to navigating the\nregion and reaffirms ASEAN\u2019s central position in what is becoming a crowded and\ncontested space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In recent years\nASEAN has come under increasing criticism for internal divisions between\nmembers and its perceived inability to reach a consensus on key regional\nissues. One could argue that the <em>ASEAN\nOutlook on the Indo-Pacific <\/em>is proof that the grouping can achieve\nstrategic cohesion\u2014when it wants to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, with a fresh\ncollective vision of the Indo-Pacific, is the time now ripe for ASEAN to\nconclude the highly-anticipated Code of Conduct (COC)? While the <em>Outlook on the Indo-Pacific<\/em> avoids any\nmention of a major power (i.e., the United States and China) and discussion of\nsensitive political and security issues, a COC concerning the South China Sea\nmay be what\u2019s needed to formally institutionalise the \u2018Indo-Pacific\u2019 in ASEAN. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With Vietnam\u2014a vocal\nclaimant state\u2014as the 2020 ASEAN Chair, what is the current status of the COC\nand what developments (if any) can we expect to see during Hanoi\u2019s\nchairmanship?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Developments towards a Code of Conduct<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Conversations\naround a potential COC first began at the 2002 ASEAN Summit, in response to mounting\ntensions in the South China Sea. The COC seeks to\nmanage inter-state relations within the South China Sea area and address\ndisputes over territorial claims in the contested waters. The COC is based on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnphilippines.com\/news\/2019\/11\/4\/asean-china-code-of-conduct-south-china-sea.html\">2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties<\/a> in the South China Sea signed by\nChina and the 10 ASEAN states. In November this year, it was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asean2019.go.th\/en\/news\/chairmans-statement-of-the-35th-asean-summit-bangkok-nonthaburi-3-november-2019-advancing-partnership-for-sustainability\/\">announced<\/a> that China and ASEAN member-states had reached \u201can effective\nand substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) within a\nmutually-agreed timeline\u201d. A single draft of the COC was put forward in August\n2018. Both ASEAN and China have agreed to complete the COC by 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many have pointed to\nthe slow progress of the COC\u2019s drafting, raising questions as to when the\ncompleted document will actually be released. Senior ASPI analyst, Huong Le\nThu, has referred to the COC as a \u2018holy grail\u2019\u2014idealistic and highly desired,\nbut difficult to attain. Vietnam has been at the forefront of the negotiations,\nadvocating for peaceful communication concerning the resolution of disputes in\nthe South China Sea; although Vietnam has been clear that the COC <a href=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2018\/08\/a-closer-look-at-the-asean-china-single-draft-south-china-sea-code-of-conduct\/\">won\u2019t limit<\/a> or prevent states from seeking peaceful settlement under\nArticle 33(1) of the Charter of the United Nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The current draft\nwill serve as the basis for the adoption of a COC in the South China Sea.\nAccording to Carl Thayer, the draft reinforces the language in the Framework\nCode of Conduct, <a href=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2018\/08\/a-closer-look-at-the-asean-china-single-draft-south-china-sea-code-of-conduct\/\">stressing <\/a>that it is \u201cnot an instrument to settle territorial disputes\nor maritime delimitation issues\u201d. The draft appears vague and does not clearly\ntouch on the most sensitive issues surrounding the COC\u2014geographic scope,\ndispute settlement mechanisms and legal status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What about Beijing?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The July 2019\nrelease of Beijing\u2019s White Paper, entitled <em>China\u2019s\nNational Defence in the New Era<\/em>, defended China\u2019s national sovereignty,\nterritorial integrity and interests in the South China Sea. The White Paper\nlabelled the South China Sea and the disputed Diaoyu islands as an \u201cinalienable\npart of the Chinese territory\u201d. Beijing appears to be looking favourably on the\nprogress of the COC. In November 2019 at the 22nd China-ASEAN (10+1) Leaders\nmeeting in Bangkok, the Chinese <a href=\"http:\/\/www.xinhuanet.com\/english\/2019-11\/03\/c_138525456.htm\">Premier Li Keqiang<\/a> commented that \u201call sides must uphold peace friendship and\ncooperation in the South China Sea and safeguard lasting peace and stability in\nthe region\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Outcomes from the 35<sup>th<\/sup> ASEAN Summit 2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the Final\nCommunique from the 35<sup>th<\/sup> ASEAN Summit, ASEAN welcomed the <a href=\"https:\/\/asean.org\/storage\/2019\/11\/Chairs-Statement-of-the-35th-ASEAN-Summit-FINAL.pdf\">completion of the draft<\/a> and practical\nmeasures to \u201creduce tensions and the risk of accident, misunderstandings and\nmiscalculations\u201d (Section 50). In section 51, ASEAN reaffirmed the importance\nof \u201cnon-militarisation and self-restraint\u201d in the South China Sea by both\nclaimant and non-claimant states.&nbsp;While many have criticised ASEAN for its\nvagueness around when the COC will be completed, ASEAN statements remain\ncommitted to the issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What can we expect from Vietnam\u2019s 2020 chairmanship?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vietnam has been\nproactive in COC negotiations, and Hanoi consistent in terms of its position on\nkey issues. 2020 will see Vietnam as the Chairman of ASEAN, as well as a\nnon-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. As a result,\nVietnam will face ample opportunity and great challenges as it has access to\ntwo major political platforms. The last time Vietnam held chairmanship was in\n2010. Since then, Hanoi has strengthened its relationships with major powers\nbut also encountered domestic challenges, particularly concerning the\nlegitimacy of its leadership. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vietnam has adopted\nthe theme \u2018<em>Cohesive and Responsive\u2019<\/em>\nfor ASEAN 2020. Given Beijing\u2019s wording in its 2019 <em>White Paper<\/em>, we should expect to see some assertive requests put on\nthe negotiating table concerning the final version of the COC, and Vietnam will\nhave to steer the bloc through negotiations as they evolve next year. While\nASEAN is a consensus-based organisation, four of the ten members are claimant\nstates, and in recent years Cambodia, Myanmar and the Philippines have been\npositioning themselves closer to Beijing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finalising an agreement on the COC that is unanimously agreed to by all 10 ASEAN members and China may prove difficult due to different national interests and foreign policy relationships with Beijing.&nbsp;It remains uncertain if all 11 states involved in finalising the COC can reach an agreement that doesn\u2019t displace ASEAN\u2019s regional footing. But ASEAN\u2019s long-awaited release of the <em>Outlook on the Indo-Pacific <\/em>may be the impetus the grouping needs. After all, ASEAN\u2019s legitimacy and realisation of the Indo-Pacific concept could depend on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"author label wp-block-paragraph\">AUTHORS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Claire Doherty <\/strong>and Dr <strong>Lucy West<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Claire has recently completed a 12 week research internship at the Griffith Asia Institute under the supervision of Dr Lucy West, as part of her Bachelor of Asian Studies and International Relations course requirements.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In June this year the 35th ASEAN Summit delivered the release of ASEAN\u2019s long-awaited Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. The Outlook provides a common script for ASEAN states when it comes to navigating the region and reaffirms ASEAN\u2019s central position in what is becoming a crowded and contested space. In recent years ASEAN has come under [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":6749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[245,247,1056,1057],"tags":[540,991,421],"class_list":["post-6748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-china-and-north-east-asia","category-indonesia-and-southeast-asia","category-politics","category-security","tag-asean","tag-dr-lucy-west","tag-south-china-sea"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Jill Moriarty","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>China-ASEAN South China Sea Code of Conduct \u2013 Are we there yet? | Griffith Asia Insights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In June this year the 35th ASEAN Summit delivered the release of ASEAN\u2019s long-awaited Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. 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