On 14 August 2025, Mr. Bolbongse Vangphaen, Director-General of the Department of ASEAN Affairs, represented the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs at the 24th ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (SOM-DOC) in Kuching, Malaysia.

The meeting exchanged views on the situation in the South China Sea, progress on the implementation of the DOC and updates on practical maritime cooperation, and provided guidance on advancing the negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC), with the aim towards its conclusion by the agreed timeline of July 2026.

The meeting was preceded by the 48th Meeting of the ASEAN-China Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (JWG-DOC) on 11-13 August 2025, where the Parties to the DOC continued the COC negotiations before reporting progress to the SOM-DOC.

Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia.