(EPA photo)BEIJING - China and Southeast Asian countries agreed on Thursday to a draft framework for a long-mooted code of conduct for the disputed South China Sea, China's foreign ministry said. The framework now goes under intense scrutiny again to try to draft a final agreement. China and all 10 members of Asean had been hoping to agree this year on the framework, 15 years after committing to draft it. After a meeting between Chinese and Asean officials in the southern city of Guiyan, China's foreign ministry said Thursday the draft framework had been agreed upon, although it gave no details of its contents. “We are pleased to announce that the senior officials have completed the negotiations of the draft COC (code of conduct) framework, ahead of the mid-2017 timeline which leaders of Asean and China had set.

Source: Bangkok Post May 18, 2017 19:30 UTC