South-East Asian ministers agree on South China Sea conduct

South-East Asian foreign ministers on Wednesday agreed to a code of conduct for the South China Sea where territorial disputes have raised tensions with Beijing, according to DPA. Of the 10 nations in the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), only Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong failed to attend the meeting in Hua Hin, 150 kilometres south-west of Bangkok. The Hua Hin meeting was an informal "brain-storming" session in preparation for two meetings in China that will focus on agreeing to a Code of Conduct (COC) to manage territorial disputes in the South China Sea. "We reinforced the common ASEAN position on our expectation that the COC be a rules-based regime to promote confidence, to avoid incidents and to address incidents should they occur," Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said.