Korean defense chief leaves for ASEAN forum in Philippines

They held a breakfast meeting before the formal opening of the ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) to specifically discuss the threat of violent extremism in the region, Xinhua quoted Arsenio Andolong, chief of the Department of the Philippine National Defence' Public Affairs Service, as saying. The defense secretary will then conclude his trip in South Korea, where he will co-chair the 49th annual Security Consultative Meeting amid simmering tensions on the Korean peninsula.

ADMM is the abbreviation for the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting.

Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne reiterated today the strong defense cooperation between Australia and the Philippines.

He said that this is a necessary step to accelerate the effective cooperation mechanisms.

The ASEAN defense ministers lauded China's contributions to the regional peace and stability.

While the draft copy of the Code of Conduct endorsed in August was "not an instrument to settle territorial disputes or maritime delimitation issues", it contains a "set of norms to guide the conduct of parties and promote maritime cooperation in the South China Sea".

The declaration asserted the demand of intensifying mutual trust, exercising self-restraint, avoiding actions that can complicate the situation, and pursuing peaceful measures to solve disputes in conformity with worldwide law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Beijing claims nearly all of the South China Sea, including a cluster of islands, reefs and atolls further south called the Spratlys.

The 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) took place in Clark city, the Philippines, on October 23.