China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations( ASEAN) held three days of negotiations in Manila on a proposed “Code of Conduct” in the South China Sea, a diplomat said Friday.

The talks, done at the level of technical working groups of China and ASEAN member states, began Wednesday and were co-chaired by Malaysia and China with the Philippines hosting the talks.

As ASEAN chair, Malaysia has been trying hard to make progress in the negotiations, Malaysian Ambassador to Manila Malik Melvin Castelino told a small group of reporters.

He did not give details but said: ''Negotiations are ongoing. It's positive that we are doing it at a very early stage, in the first quarter and I think that's important.”

“Signing of course is something that we are hoping for but progress is the most important,” Castelino said. “Malaysia will push hard.”

“We are committed to this. We think this is an important element in our chairmanship and we want to work as hard as possible to come to a conclusion,” the top Malaysian envoy said.

Diplomatic sources said the negotiations have advanced to the most contentious issues, called “milestones,” including the scope of the disputed waters it will cover and whether the Code of Conduct should be legally binding. DMS