China and ASEAN agree to try to conclude nonaggression pact on sea feud in 3 years

By NINIEK KARMINI and JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — China and Southeast Asian nations have agreed to try to conclude within three years a long-delayed nonaggression pact aimed at preventing frequent territorial spats in the busy South China Sea from turning into a major armed conflict. The contested territory has long been feared as an Asian flashpoint and has become a sensitive front in the U.S.-China rivalry in the region. China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed Thursday to guidelines to complete their code of conduct negotiations before fall 2026. That’s according to a Southeast Asian diplomat involved in the meetings. The 10-nation bloc’s foreign ministers were meeting with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.