In a commentary,  RSIS Research Fellow Collin Koh wrote about how US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recent statement, that China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea are illegal, and the anticipation of escalated South China Sea tensions may nudge ASEAN to seek a quick conclusion of negotiations with Beijing on the proposed Code of Conduct (CoC). Forming a more cohesive position on the CoC should be the way forward, he wrote, adding that a proactive Asean ought to take charge rather than follow the lead of major actors in the South China Sea — whether that is China or the US.

…Collin Koh is a Research Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University.