Lee Hsien Loong says negotiations on South China Sea code of conduct will take some time

MELBOURNE, Australia – Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said negotiating for the South China Sea code of conduct would really take some time as issues are not easy to resolve. 

During a press briefing at the sidelines of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, Lee was asked for an update on the code of conduct after Philippine President Ferdinand ”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said his administration would push back against China if it ignores the Philippines’ rights in the region.

”On the code of conduct, that’s the common position of the ASEAN members, that we should negotiate a code of conduct on the South China Sea with China. The negotiations have been underway, they are taking some time. They have reached a point, I think, of a first complete read through of the code of conduct. But to negotiate and to settle the code, I believe will take some time,” Lee said.

”The issues are not easy to resolve, and really negotiating a code of conduct inevitably raises issues of what the ultimate outcomes are going to be. And therefore, because the ultimate answers are difficult, so too, negotiating the code will take quite some time,” he added. 

Lee said Singapore does not have claims in the South China Sea, but it has an interest in freedom of navigation and the application of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

He added that the region is a vital artery for international trade.

Last month, the Philippines said it is firmly committed to negotiations for a code of conduct between China and Southeast Asian countries to avert confrontations in the South China Sea.—AOL, GMA Integrated News