Asean, China pledge to exercise restraint in South China Sea, gloss over Myanmar crisis

A Chinese Coast Guard patrol ship (left) is seen near an unidentified vessel at Whitsun Reef, in the South China Sea, in a photo released by the Philippine Coast Guard on April 15, 2021. - Reuters

BEIJING (The Straits Times/ANN): Asean and China on Tuesday (June 8) pledged to exercise self-restraint to avoid actions that would “complicate or escalate” disputes in the South China Sea and committed to resuming negotiations on a code of conduct (COC), while glossing over the Myanmar crisis.

In a statement released a day after a special meeting of Asean and China’s foreign ministers, the countries also pledged to strengthen public health cooperation, particular in the area of vaccines.