ISTANBUL 

Emphasizing the benefits of having the South China Sea as a “sea of peace,” Southeast Asian nations called Thursday for exercising “self-restraint” in the conduct of activities in the disputed waters.

The leaders of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) made the comments during a discussion on the situation in the South China Sea in Labuan Bajo, a tourist destination located in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province, where the 10-member regional bloc met for its 42nd summit. Indonesia is the current chair of ASEAN.

A joint statement said that some ASEAN members expressed concerns over land reclamations and serious incidents in the area, including damage to the marine environment, “which has eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions, and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region.”

“We reaffirmed the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability, and avoid actions that may further complicate the situation,” said the ASEAN statement.

The mineral-rich warm waters of the South China Sea have long been a subject of contention between China and some regional countries, with the US siding with countries opposing Beijing's claims.

In 2016, the Philippines won a case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that invalidated China's South China Sea expansion claims.

Washington has frequently sailed its warships and flown its fighter jets over the warm waters of the South China Sea under the so-called "freedom of navigation," which Beijing has repeatedly denounced as a violation of its territorial integrity.

China's claims are based on its "nine-dash line," which are purple dashes on official Chinese maps that represent Beijing's historical claims to the sea.

The ASEAN leaders on Thursday “further reaffirmed the need to pursue peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with the universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.”

Urging self-restraint in the conduct of activities by claimants and all other states, they called for abiding by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DoC).

The DoC is an agreement on the South China Sea signed by ASEAN and China in November 2002, marking China's first acceptance of a multilateral agreement on the issue.

Reaffirming the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea, the ASEAN leaders “recognized the benefits of having the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability and prosperity.”

“We underscored the importance of the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DoC) in its entirety,” the leaders said, welcoming the “ongoing efforts to strengthen cooperation between ASEAN and China.”

The statement also noted the progress of the “substantive negotiations towards the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (CoC) consistent with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, within a mutually agreed timeline.”