South China Sea: China-Asean code of conduct unlikely by end of the year, experts say

The China-Asean code of conduct for the disputed South China Sea is unlikely to be concluded by the end of this year, according to a panel of Southeast Asian experts at a forum on Wednesday.Their comments follow remarks from a Chinese military adviser in late December who said that China and Asean remained divided on a number of contentious issues. These, said Yao Yunzhu, a retired People’s Liberation Army major general, included whether the agreement should be legally binding, its geographic…