The South China Sea Code of Conduct still faces three unresolved questions
ASEAN and China are targeting a South China Sea code by year-end, but its scope, legal force and relationship to the 2002 declaration remain open.
ASEAN
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China’s Scarborough Shoal drills test ASEAN diplomacy
China’s August 1 drills and reserve rules near Scarborough Shoal add pressure to the Philippines dispute and test ASEAN’s 2026 risk-reduction goals.
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Southeast Asia haze risk rises as El Niño targets August and September
Indonesia’s active fires, an ASEAN Level 2 alert and a strengthening El Niño forecast are raising the risk of localized smoke crossing into Malaysia.
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Myanmar Rejects ASEAN Call to Free Aung San Suu Kyi on Aug. 9, 2026
Myanmar’s military-backed government rejected ASEAN’s renewed demand for Aung San Suu Kyi’s unconditional release and questioned the need for the bloc’s special envoy.
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ASEAN Says South China Sea Code Talks Are Progressing Toward a 2026 Deadline
ASEAN foreign ministers said negotiations with China on a South China Sea code of conduct have progressed, setting an end-of-2026 target while leaving the agreement unfinished.
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ASEAN Says China Talks on South China Sea Code Are Advancing Toward 2026 Target
ASEAN foreign ministers said negotiations with China on a South China Sea code of conduct had made progress and were being targeted for completion by the end of 2026, days after a new maritime dispute between China and the Philippines.
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ASEAN Schedules Regional Security and Transnational-Crime Meetings for Aug. 10–15, 2026
ASEAN’s 2026 calendar lists ADSOM, ADSOM-Plus and the 20th ministerial meeting on transnational crime during a week of regional meetings.
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ASEAN Sets End-2026 Target for South China Sea Code as China-Philippines Tensions Rise
ASEAN foreign ministers said progress had been made toward a long-delayed South China Sea Code of Conduct and set an end-2026 target for completing it, amid a new maritime confrontation and joint exercises involving the United States, Japan and the Philippines.
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China’s Aug. 1 Drills Near Scarborough Shoal Test ASEAN’s South China Sea Diplomacy
China conducted military drills near disputed Scarborough Shoal on Aug. 1 as ASEAN officials said negotiations with Beijing on a South China Sea code of conduct had made significant progress and could conclude by the end of 2026.
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China Holds August 1 South China Sea Drills Near Disputed Shoal as ASEAN Talks Continue
China conducted military drills near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea on August 1, 2026, adding a new security flashpoint as China and ASEAN continue discussions on maritime conduct.
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U.S. and Japan Join Philippines in South China Sea Drills After July 26 Vessel Encounter
The United States and Japan joined the Philippines in maritime exercises after a confrontation between Chinese and Philippine vessels, raising the stakes in disputed waters.
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Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing Visits Thailand in Bid for Regional Legitimacy
Myanmar’s military-backed leader Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Thailand for a two-day official visit, testing Bangkok’s approach to the country’s isolated government and its ongoing crisis.
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ASEAN Regional Forum adopts 2026–2036 Manila Plan in the Philippines amid regional instability
Participants at the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum adopted a decade-long Manila Plan of Action on July 23, 2026, as Southeast Asian governments addressed maritime disputes, major-power rivalry and energy shocks.
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ASEAN and China Set South China Sea Code Talks Target for End of 2026
ASEAN foreign ministers said negotiations on a South China Sea Code of Conduct had advanced and set a target to conclude the process by the end of 2026, but no agreement has been adopted.
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ASEAN Schedules Sustainable Urbanisation Forum in Kuala Lumpur for Aug. 10–15, 2026
ASEAN’s official 2026 calendar lists a six-day sustainable urbanisation forum in Kuala Lumpur, putting housing, infrastructure and city resilience on the regional policy agenda.
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ASEAN and China Target Year-End 2026 for South China Sea Code After Philippines Talks
ASEAN officials say negotiations with China on a long-delayed South China Sea code of conduct have made significant progress, but the text and enforcement provisions remain unsettled.
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China holds military drills near Scarborough Shoal as Philippines, U.S. and Japan confront rising South China Sea tensions
China conducted military drills near disputed Scarborough Shoal on August 1, 2026, as territorial tensions with the Philippines intensified and ASEAN-China talks on a maritime code of conduct continued.
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ASEAN Urges Hormuz Access, Renews South China Sea Code Goal
ASEAN’s July Manila meetings urged an immediate Middle East ceasefire and safe Hormuz passage while renewing a 2026 South China Sea code goal.
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ASEAN-UK Plan Sets Five-Year Maritime and Security Framework
ASEAN and Britain adopted a 2027-2031 plan covering maritime safety, cables, crime, supply chains, energy and ASEAN-led regional forums.
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Philippines, U.S. warn against coercion as ASEAN talks continue
U.S. and Philippine officials warned against coercion in Kuala Lumpur as ASEAN said South China Sea code-of-conduct talks with China had accelerated.
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ASEAN and China Renew Push for South China Sea Code in 2026
ASEAN and China renewed a 2026 goal for a South China Sea conduct code in Manila, but no final text exists and maritime tensions remain unresolved.
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China Holds Drills Near Disputed Scarborough Shoal as ASEAN Talks Continue
China reported naval and air drills near Scarborough Shoal as ASEAN and China pursue a 2026 South China Sea code of conduct that remains unfinished.