Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 4) — Vietnam is set to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year, which could lead to a swifter passage on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said in a press briefing in Thailand Monday.
“From the discussions today there’s a commitment that they want to accelerate the completion of the discussion of the Code of Conduct and I’m sure under the leadership of Vietnam this goal of achieving finalization or progress of the Code of Conduct will be made rapidly,” Dominguez told reporters.
Vietnam is one of the countries that have a conflicting claim with China in the South China Sea.
The completion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea would lead to a legally-bonding agreement between nations that have competing claims in the maritime region.
Vietnam has been outspoken against China’s claims in the region, which include creating a Paracel Islands Museum on the history of its claim and pulling from theaters a Dreamworks movie that depicted a map of China’s nine-dash line claim.
READ: The tiny islands that could explode the China-Vietnam relationship
Thailand is the current chair of the ASEAN, preceded by Singapore and the Philippines. The chairmanship of the ASEAN rotates annually, in alphabetical order of the member country’s English names.
