Joint statement: Malaysia-China agree to resolve the South China Sea issue peacefully
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia and China agreed to resolve the dispute in the South China Sea peacefully through friendly negotiations and emphasized the importance of maintaining peace, security, and stability in the area.
In a joint statement issued today, the two countries insisted that negotiations should be conducted in accordance with generally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“Both parties will launch a bilateral dialogue on the management of maritime issues as soon as possible to establish maritime dialogue and cooperation.
“Both sides will cooperate with other ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea and look forward to the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct (CoC) in the South China Sea,” said the joint statement on Thursday.
The CoC aims to establish a basis for cooperation in order to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, seeing as China and several ASEAN members, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, have territorial disputes and overlapping claims.
Elaborating, the two leaders agreed that China and Malaysia have broad common interests as well as similar positions and proposals in international affairs.
In addition, both parties affirmed their commitment to the purposes and principles of the United Nations (UN) Charter and jointly upheld the international system with the UN as its core.
Malaysia and China will also defend the unity and cooperation of the international community and protect international justice, in addition to promoting human values such as peace, development, equality, justice, democracy, and freedom.
In the same development, Kuala Lumpur-Beijing intends to speed up the completion of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 negotiations.
“Malaysia and China will actively participate in the activities of the China-ASEAN People-to-People Exchange Year 2024 to improve the construction of a peaceful, safe, and secure nation.
“At the same time, add impetus to deepen the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and jointly build closer ASEAN-China Community relations with a shared future,” the joint statement added.
In addition, China welcomes Malaysia to take on the role of national coordinator for ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations in 2024 and supports Malaysia as the chairman of ASEAN 2025.
The joint statement was issued in conjunction with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang’s three-day working visit to Malaysia, which began on June 18.
The framework of the visit is in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.
In 2023, China will remain Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years since 2009, with a trade volume of RM450.84 billion (US$98.90 billion).
