(25 August 2023, Manila)
The 40th Meeting of ASEAN-China Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (40th JWG-DOC) was held in Manila, the Philippines from 22-24 August 2023, and it was co-chaired by U Mang Hau Thang, Deputy Director-General of the ASEAN Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and Mr. Tan Qingsheng, Chinese Head of JWG-DOC and Representative of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. The Meeting was attended by representatives from ASEAN Member States and China, as well as representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat.
The Meeting reviewed the progress in the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and the current situation in the South China Sea. The Meeting reaffirmed the importance of practical maritime cooperation in enhancing trust and confidence among the parties, which contributed to the implementation of the Annual Work Plan on the Implementation of the DOC for 2023 and noted the updates on the initiatives/activities under the Work Plan.
The Meeting discussed the working methodologies for the Third Reading of the SDNT and recalled that the Guidelines for Accelerating the Early Conclusion of an Effective and Substantive COC, which was adopted at the Post-Ministerial Conference Plus One Session with China in July 2023, could serve as a guide to facilitate with the Third Reading of the SDNT. The Meeting exchanged views on the four milestone issues and took note of the Co-Chairs’ Non-Paper on Discussions on Agreed Milestones in the SDNT of the COC in the South China Sea as one of the references to guide the JWG-DOC’s discussions on the milestone issues.
