Speaking at a closed-door media briefing in Jakarta, Indonesia, Ambassador Kim said ASEAN and China are continuing negotiations on a Code of Conduct (COC) for the East Sea. He noted that under ASEAN’s decision-making process, all 11 member states must reach consensus before engaging in negotiations with China.
Kim said Washington fully respects ASEAN’s consensus-driven mechanism and will continue to honor its treaty commitments to the Philippines concerning the South China Sea. He reaffirmed that the US will maintain lawful maritime operations in international waters, as it has done for decades, emphasizing that freedom of navigation is a fundamental right enjoyed by all nations.
The ambassador also reiterated US support for the principles of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and reaffirmed the significance of the arbitral tribunal’s South China Sea ruling issued a decade ago, describing it as an important legal foundation for the peaceful settlement of maritime disputes in accordance with international law.
