China's recent deployment of strategic bombers and long range missiles in the South China Sea violate the FRAMEWORK OF A Code of Conduct (COC) Adopted last year

Roilo: China's recent deployment of strategic bombers and long range missiles in the South China Sea violate the FRAMEWORK OF A Code of Conduct (COC)
Adopted last year which states the following:

"To promote mutual trust, cooperation and confidence, prevent incidents,
manage incidents should they occur, and create a favourable environment for the peaceful settlement of the disputes"

"To ensure maritime security and safety and freedom of navigation and
overflight."

Roilo: China's missiles and bombers promote the opposite: mistrust, loss of confidence, and pose grave threats to maritime security, freedom of navigation and overflight.

FRAMEWORK OF A COC
Adopted at the 14th ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (SOM-DOC) Guiyang, China
May 18, 2017
1. Preambular provisions a. Bases of the COC
b. Inter-connection and interaction between DOC and COC c. Importance and aspirations
2. General provisions a. Objectives:
i. To establish a rules-based framework containing a set of norms to guide the
conduct of parties and promote maritime cooperation in the South China Sea;
ii. To promote mutual trust, cooperation and confidence, prevent incidents,
manage incidents should they occur, and create a favourable environment for
the peaceful settlement of the disputes;
iii. To ensure maritime security and safety and freedom of navigation and
overflight.
b. Principles
i. Not an instrument to settle territorial disputes or maritime
delimitation issues
ii. Commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United
Nations, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),

the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the Five Principles
of Peaceful Coexistence, and other universally recognized principles of
international law
iii. Commitment to full and effective implementation of the DOC
iv. Respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity in
accordance with international law, and the principle of non- interference in the
internal affairs of other states
c. Basic undertakings
i. Duty to cooperate
ii. Promotion of practical maritime cooperation
iii. Self - restraint / Promotion of trust and confidence iv. Prevention of incidents
1. Confidence building measures
2. Hotlines
v. Management of incidents
3. Final Clauses
a. Encourage other countries to respect the principles contained in the COC b. Necessary mechanisms for monitoring of implementation
c. Review of the COC
d. Nature and Entry into force

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