Will South China Sea’s code of conduct remain elusive as deadline looms?

The proposed code can only succeed if it sets clear rules to prevent clashes at sea rather than to resolve territorial claims, analysts say

Ushar Daniele in Kuala Lumpur

A long-awaited code of conduct (COC) for the South China Sea risks becoming a toothless agreement, analysts have warned, as Beijing and Southeast Asian nations scramble to hammer out a deal by the end of 2026.

More than three decades since it was mooted, the proposed pact has remained gridlocked over how to balance competing territorial claims among China and four rival claimant states – Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines.

Maritime experts speaking at a conference in Kuala Lumpur this week agreed that the code was not meant to settle sovereignty disputes and were divided on whether it could keep the peace.

“If anything involves clarifying maritime rights, not only China but also the Philippines and Vietnam will not accept a binding COC,” Ding Duo, a researcher at China’s National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told This Week in Asia on the sidelines of the Maritime Institute of Malaysia’s 9th South China Sea Conference on Tuesday.