On 17-18 April 2026, Mr. Vathayudh Vichankaiyakij, Acting Director-General of the Department of ASEAN Affairs, led the Thai Delegation to the 54^th Meeting of the Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (JWG-DOC), held in Beijing, China. The Meeting was co-chaired by Malaysia, Country Coordinator for ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, and China. The Meeting continued the negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) towards its conclusion by the targeted timeline of 2026.