The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is hoping to expedite negotiations on a code of conduct framework with China for the disputed South China Sea, but it wasn’t realistic to expect an agreement within a year, Singapore’s defense minister said on Wednesday.
China and the 10-member ASEAN bloc adopted a negotiating framework on the code and have already commenced talks on the issue.
Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen was speaking to reporters following a gathering of ASEAN defense chiefs.
