ASEAN debates the South China Sea

The leaders of the regional group ASEAN are meeting today in Bali. At the top of the agenda is advancing a code of conduct for the South China Sea that can then be negotiated with China. The ASEAN states and China agreed to a general set of principles in 2002 and have been trying to ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

The leaders of the regional group ASEAN are meeting today in Bali. At the top of the agenda is advancing a code of conduct for the South China Sea that can then be negotiated with China. The ASEAN states and China agreed to a general set of principles in 2002 and have been trying to forge a more comprehensive document ever since.

The leaders of the regional group ASEAN are meeting today in Bali. At the top of the agenda is advancing a code of conduct for the South China Sea that can then be negotiated with China. The ASEAN states and China agreed to a general set of principles in 2002 and have been trying to forge a more comprehensive document ever since.

That push has acquired new urgency as maritime tensions have increased. If this report from Bali is accurate, however, there’s significant uncertainty within the group over how to proceed:

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa says ASEAN foreign ministers spent much of their meeting Tuesday debating efforts to resolve conflicting claims over reserves of oil and gas in the South China Sea.

Earlier in the day, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged the delegates to finalize a set of guidelines called the Declaration of Conduct between ASEAN and China on this issue. He noted the two sides have been negotiating the guidelines for the past nine years.

Natalegawa says while ASEAN sees the Declaration of Conduct and a planned Code of Conduct as the best way to resolve the dispute, some member states are considering other options. He says some delegates suggested making development in the disputed area a cooperative venture.

At the end of the week, diplomats from the United States, China and the European Union will join the gathering for this year’s regional forum. It’s an open question how united the ASEAN front will be when these players arrive. 

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.