KUALA LUMPUR: About 70% of the Code of Conduct (COC) on the South China Sea has been completed and is expected to be finalised this year, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (pic).
The Foreign Minister said the main items have been ironed out and most aspects agreed upon.
“Progress has been great and we expect to finalise it this year. If possible, we want it done immediately,” he told Parliament yesterday.
Mohamad said the COC was not an instrument used to resolve territorial disputes, adding that bilateral and multilateral meetings were used for that purpose.
“The COC is a framework to ensure that the South China Sea remains independent, safe and able to be used at all times.”
He said negotiations were done in a thorough manner to protect the country’s sovereignty.
Among the main components are principles and objectives governing conduct in the South China Sea, confidence-building measures to assure the international community that the waters remain safe and open to all, and need for self-restraint to avoid actions that could heighten tensions.
He said the South China Sea, once considered calm and peaceful, had come under the attention of various parties, amid overlapping claims in certain areas.
The minister was responding to Tampin MP Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa, who asked for updates on the COC and Malaysia’s role in finalising it.
On whether Malaysia’s joint military exercises could upset other countries, Mohamad said the exercises were not limited to a single nation.
“We have exercises with many countries, be it on land, air or sea or even simultaneously. Malaysia has no agenda to conduct exercises with only one country to provoke others.
“We are a maritime country and intend a peaceful environment at sea.”
