Defense ministers from the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have adopted multilateral guidelines for air military encounters aimed at reducing miscalculations and tensions in the region.
The ministers are gathered in Singapore this week for the annual ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM), where they released the joint statement.
Singapore's Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said in his opening remarks that the regional grouping was happy to announce ADMM's adoption of the first multilateral guidelines for air military encounters. The framework applies to military aircraft in flight over high seas ensuring safe separation.
"This is a significant achievement which demonstrates the ADMM's leadership to enhance peace and security in our region,” said Minister Ng.
Ng added that the regional ministers will seek cooperation and agreement from their international counterparts on Saturday when the ADMM Plus will take place. The eight extra-regional partners include Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia, and the US.
The adoption of the guidelines comes against the backdrop of escalating trade tensions and disputes between Washington and Beijing in the South China Sea, where five ASEAN member states are claimants in the area.
While the establishments of these codes are testament to ASEAN's centrality, successful implementation is a trickier issue, according to Dr. Tan See Seng, a professor in International Relations at RSIS, a Singapore think tank.
"Whether the codes contribute to regional peace and stability ultimately depends on whether their signatory countries actually observe them in their conduct. Because they are legally non-binding, they are therefore totally reliant on voluntary adherence by states," said Dr. Tan.
He believes the air guidelines are a logical complement to the Code of Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), which ASEAN successfully proposed in 2014 in efforts to cool tensions in the South China Sea.
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis last month canceled a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe after an American and a Chinese warship nearly collided in the contested seas.
On Tuesday, ties between the two global powers were strained even further when two US B-52 bombers flew over the South China Sea as part of a "routine training mission," the Pacific Air Forces said in a statement.
However, the suspended talks between Mattis and Wei resumed as the two delegates met on Thursday on the sideline of the key regional meeting, where both countries seek more resilient military ties.
"If (the US and China) agree to continue a dialogue we began in July in Beijing and try to keep on the path of transparency and stability, we agree, between Minister Wei and I, that we want a military relationship that (is) a source of stability between our two countries," the US defense secretary said on Friday.
Mattis added that no single nation can rewrite the international rule of law, and that both big and small countries should respect those rules.
ASEAN said in August that it will conduct a joint maritime exercise with China's navy in October. The regional organization also announced today that an ASEAN-US Maritime Exercise is slated for next year.
"These initiatives underscore ASEAN's unity and centrality in engaging our Plus partners," said Minister Ng, referring to ADMM's international partners including China and the US.
At the joint conference, the ministers also reaffirmed their commitments to enhancing counter-terrorism cooperation, addressing chemical, biological, and radiological threats, and to enhance regional peace and stability.