Negotiations on the proposed South China Sea Code of Conduct are 77% complete, with a few “salient points” left to resolve, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said on Saturday.
Lazaro declined to detail the remaining sticking points, deferring to an official announcement from ASEAN leaders during the 49th ASEAN Summit on Nov. 15 to 17.
“Let’s give it a little bit more time as this is still subject of discussion. But 80% of the document itself is finished,” she said, noting she did not want to preempt the leaders.
The 77% figure clarifies an earlier statement from Foreign Assistant Secretary and ASEAN 2026 Spokesperson Dominic Xavier Imperial, who said on Thursday that talks were 70% done. Lazaro explained that Imperial had rounded the figure down, while she rounded it up.
In a Nov. 13 radio interview, Lazaro noted that key unresolved issues include the code’s geographical scope, terms of reference, and whether it will be legally binding.
ASEAN and China have held monthly negotiations on the code since signing the non-binding Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in 2002.
