Southeast Asian nations are seeing progress on the South China Sea dispute, as foreign ministers from ten countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have endorsed the framework of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea on Saturday in Manila, according to a Philippine official.

The framework is expected to be adopted at the ASEAN-China meeting on Sunday.

Negotiated by China and the ASEAN, the framework will help both sides move forward in negotiating an effective Code of Conduct, said  Robespierre Bolivar, a spokesman for Department of Foreign Affairs.

The expected deal has been 15 years in the making after negotiations on the issue first began. 

Bolivar has earlier said the framework of the COC is one of the major outcome documents of the week-long ASEAN ministerial meetings that kicked off on Saturday.

The Philippines is the rotating chair of ASEAN this year.

Meanwhile, the ministers urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to create a conducive environment to ease the mounting tensions on the Korean Peninsula. They expressed "grave concerns" over the escalation of tensions following the DPRK's missile and nuclear tests. 

The next few days in Manila will likely see many fiery debates, with top diplomats from China, the US, Russia, the DPRK, and South Korea also joining the talks.