United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the ten member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) early this month to stand up to China in their territorial disputes in the South China Sea and they can bank on US support. ASEAN response was expectedly cool to the US call. “We don’t want to get trapped by this rivalry,” Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said. The ASEAN member states issued a joint statement that progress was being made in negotiations to craft a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea that is consistent with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Looking forward to SEA Code of Conduct in 2021. (2020, September 19). Manila Bulletin, p. 4.