Mutual trust is necessary

Since it ratified the Declaration for the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in 2002, China has made great efforts to promote regional cooperation in various fields. The world benefits from a peaceful and stable South China Sea, says an article in People's Daily. Excerpts:

China is ready to participate in the process of creating the South China Sea Code of Conduct when conditions are appropriate. Only when all relevant parties recognize the importance of mutual trust and cooperation can the code really work.

Some countries always try to tell the world that the code of conduct can effectively prohibit China from taking hard-line actions on the South China Sea issue. This is obviously to create regional tensions and to intentionally distort China’s responsible image on the issue, which is against the real purpose of the code.

Foreign powers outside the region also take advantage of the South China Sea issue to create controversy. That damages mutual trust among relevant countries in the region.

In fact, the code will not solve the South China Sea issue, but it will deepen mutual trust and multilateral cooperation for peace and stability in the region. Under the code of conduct, a regional management and control mechanism is expected to be established, promoting bilateral and multilateral dialogue and mutual understanding among relevant parties.

China has never been against the code made by the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The declaration inked by China in 2002 already sets the code of conduct as a goal for the future.

China firmly believes that mutual trust has to be the basic pre-existing condition for any negotiations about the code. This is a responsible attitude, not only for the code, but also for the stability and peace of the whole region.