Hanoi (VNA) – The 54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-54), whichtook place recently via videoconference, issued a joint communiqué highlightingthe East Sea (South China Sea) situation.

In the joint communiqué,some ministers voiced concerns on the land reclamations, activities,serious incidents in the area, including damage to the marine environment, which have erodedtrust and confidence, increased tensions, and may undermine peace, security,and stability in the region.

“We reaffirmed the need to enhancemutual trust and confidence, exercise self-restraint in the conduct ofactivities that would complicate or escalate disputesand affect peace and stability, and avoid actions that may furthercomplicate the situation,” they said.

The meeting further reaffirmed the need to pursue peaceful resolution ofdisputes in accordance with the universally recognised principles ofinternational law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982UNCLOS).

“We emphasised the importance ofnon-militarisation and self-restraint in the conduct of all activities byclaimants and all other states, including those mentioned in the 2002 Declaration on the Conductof Parties in the South ChinaSea (DOC) that could further complicate the situation and escalate tensions inthe South China Sea,” the ministerssaid.

They also reaffirmedthe importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety,and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the East Sea andunderscored the importance of the full and effective implementation of the DOCin its entirety.

“We warmly welcomed the continuouslyimproving cooperation between ASEAN and China, and were encouraged by the progressof the substantive negotiations towards the early conclusion of an effectiveand substantive Code of Conduct in the South ChinaSea (COC) consistent with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, withina mutually-agreed timeline,” they sated.

The meeting welcomed the resumption oftextual negotiations on the Single Draft COC Negotiating Text (SDNT), which hasresulted in provisional agreement on the Preamble section after delays due tothe COVID-19 pandemic.

The ministers emphasised the need tomaintain and promote an environment conducive to the COC negotiations, and thus welcomed practical measures that could reduce tensionsand the risk of accidents, misunderstandings and miscalculation.

“We stressed the importance of undertaking confidencebuilding and preventive measures to enhance, among others, trust and confidenceamongst parties, and we reaffirmed the importance of upholding internationallaw, including the 1982 UNCLOS,”they noted./.