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Title:
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The First Reading of the Single Draft Negotiating Text of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea Completed Ahead of the Schedule
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Author:
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Embassy of the PRC in Estonia
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Source:
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Embassy of the PRC in Estonia
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Date:
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August 1, 2019
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Description:
- On July 31, 2019 local time, when attending the China- Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted, in the past year, China and the ASEAN countries, following the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), explored rule-based governance of the South China Sea, actively advanced the consultations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, and completed the first reading of the COC single draft negotiating text ahead of the schedule. Through the first reading, the text is streamlined so that the framework and essential elements of the COC become clearer and the structure more reasonable. It marks new and major progress in the COC consultations and an important step toward the goal of concluding the consultations within three years' time.
