The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China on Monday night announced the start of negotiations for a code of conduct in the South China Sea.

“Leaders of ASEAN and China Leaders have agreed to start talks on the Code of Conduct based on the Framework approved by the Foreign Ministers in August,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Robespierre Bolivar said in a statement.

Bolivar said the Philippines will issue a chairman's statement for the ASEAN-China Summit.

Last August, ASEAN and China agreed to adopt a framework for a code of conduct after 15 years of talks. This framework will guide the shaping of the document.

The code of conduct aims to prevent conflicting claims in the South China Sea worsening into violence. DMS