C.Codes of Conduct

Regional states have also adopted and extended existing codes of conduct of inter-state behaviour as a hedge against instability and conflict. The ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) has been acceded to by Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. It contains the principles of peace and good neighbourliness which the parties to it are expected to observe. They include pacific settlement of disputes and respect for the national independence and territorial integrity of states.

In addition, the ASEAN Declaration on the South China Sea adopted in Manila in July 1992, which included the TAC principles, became an important guidepost against which state action can be evaluated. It prohibits provocative unilateral action which can create tension and produce conflict in the behaviour of states. ASEAN seeks the extension of these principles through the adoption in the future of a Regional Code of Conduct for the South China Sea covering all ARF members.

In bilateral relations, claimants in the South China Sea, apart from engaging in bilateral negotiations, have also issued joint statements regarding a code of behaviour binding among them. These include those between the Philippines and China, and between the Philippines and Viet Nam, although China expressed reservation not to recognize any bilateral agreement concluded by other claimants without China's participation. China has, however, agreed to discuss the disputes with ASEAN as a group, the first indication from Beijing that it was prepared to modify its long-standing position not to open the issue to multilateral discussions.

ASEAN also approved the creation of South-East Asia as a Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone in 1995 in an effort to reduce the probability of nuclear war. A protocol for the accession of non-ASEAN members is being readied, although there remain problems in accommodating the US interest in its ships and aircraft entering the zone without having to declare whether or not they are equipped with nuclear weapons.

Date: 2015-01-11; view: 812