(Reuters photo)BEIJING - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday that China hopes to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea by pushing forward with negotiations for a code of conduct for rival claimants in the disputed waters. Negotiations began in 2010 for an agreed upon set of rules between China and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) aimed at avoiding conflict in the South China Sea. China lays claim to almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea, through which about US$5 trillion worth of trade passes each year. Li reiterated China's stance that the issue is a regional affair that should be "decided and resolved by the countries directly involved". He did not directly mention the US stance on the South China Sea.

Source: Bangkok Post March 15, 2017 04:52 UTC