South China Sea: code of conduct lacks fortitude
A ‘framework’ for the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea was agreed upon in Manila on 6-7 August during the ASEAN 50 or 7th East Asian Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
The COC is a code for state behaviour pending the settlement of disputes over sovereignty of land features, islands, rocks and the delimitation of maritime zones that these land features are entitled to under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
‘It’s a tricky question because there’s nothing to adhere to in the ‘framework’ that was reached,’ said Gregory Poling, director of the
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