China and Asean agree on guidelines to expedite South China Sea negotiations

(From left) Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir at a group photo session on July 13, 2023. - AFP

JAKARTA (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): China and South-east Asian countries have agreed on a set of guidelines to speed up negotiations for a code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea.

The guidelines were adopted during a meeting between Asean foreign ministers and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on Thursday (July 13).