ASEAN, China agree on 'guidelines' for disputed waters

CTVNEWS

ASEAN, China agree on 'guidelines' for disputed waters

The Associated Press Published Wednesday, July 20, 2011 9:30AM EDT

Indonesian police officer with a police dog checks a conference site before the opening ceremony of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ministerial meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Tuesday, July 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

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BALI, Indonesia - Senior Chinese and Southeast Asian officials say they have agreed on guidelines to govern behaviour in the hotly disputed and resource-rich South China Sea.

Chinese diplomat Liu Zhenmin called it a "milestone document."

For years, Beijing has resisted calls for a binding code of conduct that would require disputes in the waterway to be solved peacefully and without threats of violence.

But in a rare sign of co-operation, Zhenmin and officials from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed Wednesday that the two sides would work together toward reaching that goal.

The South China Sea, a busy shipping lane believed to be rich in oil and natural gas, is claimed in entirety by China, Taiwan and Vietnam and in part by the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.