MANILA - The 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) wants to establish a formal code of conduct in the South China Sea to avoid tension around disputed territories, a senior Filipino diplomat said on Friday.
  
Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, China and Taiwan  all stake claims over territory in the South China Sea. All except Brunei have a military presence in the area, and the boundary claims have sparked deadly naval clashes.

"We should start talking about the provisions of a regional code of conduct and this is to ensure that the South China Sea remains a peaceful and stable place where vessels can pass safely," Erlinda Basilio, foreign affairs undersecretary
for policy, told a media forum.
  
Southeast Asian states have become worried by China's increasingly aggressive stance on the complex set of disputes. Last week, Chinese naval forces carried out drills in the disputed southern waters amid tension with Washington over security on the Korean peninsula and in the South China Sea. 
  
In 2002, China and ASEAN signed a declaration to halt military activities and promote cooperation on scientific, environment and non-military projects to lessen tension after China and Vietnam fought a naval battle in the late 1980s.

Basilio said ASEAN would propose a more formal and legally binding code of conduct in the South China Sea at its next meeting with China. ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

"We just want stability and a peaceful environment, not only there, but all over the region," she said.

She said disputes have always been discussed in security meetings at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), where extra-regional powers, such as the United States, Russia, India, Australia and Japan join ASEAN and China.

"Many of the participants in the ARF are trading nations and therefore it is important for them to have unimpeded access to the waters in South China Sea," she said.

On Wednesday, Captain Rudy Lupton, commander of the flagship of the U.S. Navy 7th Fleet, urged China to act responsibly in disputed areas in the South China Sea to avoid political and security issues.