July 9, 2026
JAKARTA – The United States has reaffirmed its support for ASEAN centrality in addressing the South China Sea dispute by leaving negotiations over the Code of Conduct (COC) in the contested waters between the bloc’s member states and China.
At a roundtable discussion with journalists in Jakarta on Tuesday, US Ambassador to ASEAN Kevin Kim said the country would respect ASEAN’s consensus-based approach to regional diplomacy, including on sensitive issues, such as the South China Sea.
“We will always engage with ASEAN and its member states to ensure that the United States’ interests are protected. But fundamentally, the [South China Sea COC] is a discussion and negotiations between ASEAN and China,” Kim said in one of his first media engagements since assuming office.
The negotiation for the South China Sea COC has been ongoing since 2017 between China and ASEAN member states, but the talks have dragged on with little progress toward establishing rules on the code of conduct in the heavily contested waters.
The busy waterway, which has overlapping maritime claims between China and ASEAN members including the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the Natuna Islands, has been one of Asia’s most sensitive flashpoints for decades.
While Kim added that Washington would raise any important issues related to its interests, he stresses it will not seek to steer negotiations, noting it is up to ASEAN members themselves to determine a common position before continuing talks with Beijing.