TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said Indonesia is ready to cooperate with ASEAN countries to finalize the Code of Conduct on the disputed South China Sea.

"Concerning the South China Sea, Indonesia is ready to cooperate with all countries in ASEAN including the Philippines to finalize drafting the Code of Conduct as soon as possible," she said during a bilateral meeting with the Foreign Minister of the Philippines Enrique Manao in Manila on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024.

China claimed almost all of the South China Sea, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones of several Southeast Asian countries, such as the Philipines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 decided that China's claim was baseless.

Earlier, the Philippines invited its neighboring countries to draft their own Code of Conduct, after it deemed the progress with China too slow, as it has been stagnant for two decades with an end in sight. Philippines' President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos on November 20 said it had approached Malaysia and Vietnam. "Hopefully this will expand to other ASEAN countries," he said.

Minister Retno welcomed the ASEAN's foreign ministers' statement on Maintaining and Promoting Stability in the Maritime Sphere in Southeast Asia on Dec. 30. The statement touched on the South China Sea dispute, stressing the need to "avoid actions that may further complicate the situation and pursue
peaceful resolution of disputes".

"We recognize the benefits of having the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability, cooperation, and prosperity," the statement wrote. ASEAN foreign ministers also highlighted the importance of the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and committed to working towards a substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) that is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

In addition to the South China Sea, Retno and Manalo also discussed the Rohingya refugee issues and the issue of Palestine.

NABIILA AZZAHRA

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