The United States, Australia, and Japan on Monday called on The Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) and China to ensure that a South China Sea code of conduct they have committed to draft will be legally binding.
Foreign ministers of the three countries in a meeting in Manila said The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China should establish a set of rules that are “legally binding, meaningful, effective, and consistent with international law.”
They also urged China and the Philippines to observe the international arbitration ruling on the South China Sea that was decided upon last year.