China and Southeast Asian countries agreed on Thursday to a framework for a long-mooted code of conduct for the disputed South China Sea, China's foreign ministry said, as both sides step up efforts to ease tension in the strategic waterway.
China and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had been hoping to agree on the framework this year, 15 years after committing to draft it.
After a meeting between Chinese and ASEAN officials in the city of Guiyang, China's foreign ministry said the framework had been agreed upon but gave no details of its contents.