Malaysia's Anwar to Push ASEAN-China Fast-Track of South China Sea Code of Conduct at May Summit

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on April 7, 2026, that he would urge ASEAN member states and China to fast-track negotiations on a binding Code of Conduct (COC) for the South China Sea at the upcoming ASEAN Leaders' Summit in May 2026. Malaysia holds the ASEAN chairmanship for 2026 and has targeted completion of the COC framework by July 2026 — a deadline experts have generally called 'simply not achievable.' ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn and Malaysia's ASEAN presidency have described 2026 as a 'make or break' year for the COC. Key sticking points remain: the geographic scope of the COC (whether it covers the Paracels and Scarborough Shoal in addition to the Spratlys), whether it will be legally binding, and whether it will prohibit third-party military activities in the South China Sea — the last point a priority for China but opposed by the United States and the Philippines. China's Wu Shicun, founding president of China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies, assessed the probability of a 2026 COC signing as '100 per cent not likely.' The Philippines' ASEAN engagement focused on protecting intra-ASEAN cohesion ahead of May.