BANGKOK – China is ready to work with Southeast Asian countries for long term peace and stability in the South China Sea, Chinese premier Li Keqiang said after meeting leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“We are willing to work with ASEAN, under the consensus that had been reached, to sustain long term peace and stability in the South China Sea, according to the timetable set for three years,” Li said on Sunday.
China’s sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea are rejected by several members of the ASEAN, which have competing claims in the waterway.
At the summit in Bangkok, Li cited progress on a long-awaited South China Sea code of conduct, due for completion within three years.
A legally binding code has long been a goal for ASEAN members sparring over what they see as China’s disregard of sovereign rights and its obstruction of their energy exploration and fishing.(Reuters)
