Senior officials of ASEAN member countries and China have adopted draft guidelines for the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties on the East Sea (DOC) to submit to the ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers\' Meeting.
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The participants to the ASEAN-China senior officials\' meeting (SOM) in Bali, Indonesia, yesterday applauded the outcome as a significant start for the goal of accelerating the implementation of DOC.
Members discussed measures to accelerate full and effective implementation of DOC. This important document, signed between ASEAN and China, shows a common commitment to promoting peace, stability, maritime security, co-operation, and the settlement of disputes on the basis of international laws, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The ASEAN-China SOM was held under the 44th ASEAN Ministers\' Meeting (AMM 44) that closed on Tuesday. Its goals were to ensure peace and stability for regional development and accelerate the development of the ASEAN Community by 2015.
The two sides agreed that the next ASEAN-China SOM will take place in China, Vietnamese SOM head Pham Quang Vinh and Chinese SOM head Liu Zhenmin said at the end of the meeting.
Pham Quang Vinh, also assistant to the Vietnamese Foreign Minister, coordinated the meeting with his host Indonesian counterpart.
Also on Tuesday, to raise awareness of ASEAN and the process of building community, the ASEAN foreign ministers agreed that ASEAN member countries will fly the ASEAN flag next to their national flags at all their diplomatic representative agencies. The decision will mark the first "ASEAN Day" on August 8, 2011.
They also agreed to accelerate ASEAN integration on the basis of promoting the construction of the three pillars of politics: security, economics and socio-culture.
In discussing the evolving regional architecture, the ministers agreed that ASEAN needs to continue to push development as it plays a core role in regional cooperation, such as ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, EAS, ARF, ADMM+. This will ensure more efficient contributions to peace, stability, security and development in the region. — VNA/VNS
