South China Sea issue -- China: No rush to set conduct code

INTRO

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says there should be no rush to set the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

This, he says, is because the code concerns the interests of many countries and involves lots of work.

PKG

The Chinese foreign minister made the remarks on Monday during his visit to Vietnam.

He said China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to work on setting the Code of Conduct within the framework of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

China, he said, has been positive and open to the work on the Code of Conduct and has taken note of the positions of concerned parties. <

However, the Chinese foreign minister said the code cannot be agreed on overnight and that it must be consensus-based.

He said China and ASEAN members should overcome disturbances during the process, citing past efforts which failed due to disturbances from certain parties.

The top Chinese diplomat also said, what is important now is the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, particularly its provisions for maritime cooperation.