South China Sea code with Beijing must be legally binding - ASEAN chief

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers, from left, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, Myanmar U Kyaw Tin, Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, Vietnam Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Philippine Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Brunei Darussalam Foreign Minister Pehin Dato Lim Jock Seng, Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon, Laos Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh pose for a family photo during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) in Manila, Philippines April 28, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron Favila/Pool

MANILA (Reuters) - A maritime code of conduct between Southeast Asia and China must be legally binding to put a stop to "unilateral actions" in the South China Sea, because a previous commitment to play fair had been ignored, the ASEAN secretary general said on Friday.

The Association of South East Asian Nations had not received any guarantees from China in discussions to create a framework for the code within this year, but ASEAN was hopeful a set of rules could be agreed to ward off disputes and militarization, Le Luong Minh told Reuters.