(VOVworld) – Singapore will focus on the formation of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea to help claimants settle disputes. Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday that as a coordinator of China-Asean relations in 2016, Singapore has looked into some exploratory ideas on minimising the risk of unplanned encounters in the East Sea. Balakrishnan reaffirmed the importance of peace, stability, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the area. He reiterated Singapore’s support for the peaceful resolution of East Sea disputes in accordance with international law.

Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan meets his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing. (Photo: Reuters)

Wang said China was ready to work with ASEAN to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), while fostering consultations on the COC.

At the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Laos earlier, Balakrishnan called for self-restraint, non-militarization, and the freedom of navigation and aviation.