South China Sea: writing of rule book for disputed waterway delayed by lack of trust and momentum, says maritime expert

The creation of rules to cover the disputed South China Sea faces “unprecedented difficulties”, and a long-delayed regional code of conduct may have hit a snag, according to a leading Chinese maritime expert.

Speaking at a seminar on Friday about the situation in the South China Sea, Wu Shicun, founding president of China’s National Institute for South China Sea Studies in Hainan, expressed pessimism about progress of the South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC), a decade-long negotiation between Beijing and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).