The Philippines and Vietnam have pledged to work for the adoption by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) of a legally binding Code of Conduct amid massive reclamation activities by China in the disputed territories in the South China Sea, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Monday. Coloma issued the statement following a meeting between President Benigno Aquino III and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyan Tan Dung Sunday night. The Philippines and Vietnam are just two of several countries in the ASEAN with claims on exclusive economic zones in the South China Sea that are at odds with Beijing’s nine-dash line policy, Coloma said.

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