‘Negotiation fatigue’ risks stalling South China Sea code of conduct progress

Asean’s optimism in concluding a long-awaited code of conduct (COC) in the China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea by the end of the year is not shared by observers who highlight that significant gaps remain in perspectives between the bloc and China, particularly between Beijing and the Philippines.Any consensus on the code is likely to be broad and symbolic, and while “negotiation fatigue” could set in, it is still important to keep dialogue flowing, according to analysts.The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China were making “good progress” on negotiations over the matter, Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro said.