PHNOM PENH: ASEAN Chair 2022 Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has told the ASEAN Secretary-General to speed up negotiations on the Declaration on the Implementation of the South China Sea (DOC) to further advance the statement after being established for 20 years.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Kao Kim Hourn has told the media after the meeting between Prime Minister Hun Sen and ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jok Hoi on Monday, 17 January 2022, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the ASEAN Secretary-General and shall contribute to the negotiation of the South China Sea (DOC) and to facilitate negotiations on the South China Sea for the future results.

Mr. Kao Kim Hourn has said: "The ASEAN Secretary-General and all stakeholders have agreed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the DOC. On this occasion, Prime Minister asked the Secretary-General to contribute to encourage the COC negotiations to move forward.

In this regard, ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jok Hoi has said that the ASEAN Secretary-General will work hard to promote this work, especially to provide the ASEAN Secretary-General's position in Jakarta, Indonesia as a meeting place for negotiations on The South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC).

In 2002, while Cambodia was chairing the ASEAN-China Summit, it signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea", which sets the stage for a formal code of conduct to be followed. The terms of the declaration were established by the signatory countries only, promising to resolve differences peacefully and "exercise self-restraint in actions that would complicate or escalate the conflict and jeopardize peace and stability."

ASEAN Chair 2022 Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen announces three solutions to find a solution to the South China Sea issue: the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea; China will achieve the South China Sea ethics. However, Prime Minister told the international community not to blame Cambodia if a solution could not be found, because no issue in the South China Sea has been resolved by any ASEAN chair so far. Also, do not despise Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen told to wait and see the implementation of Cambodia first.