BEIJING — Singapore and China have looked into some exploratory ideas on minimising the risks from unplanned encounters in the disputed South China Sea, Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said yesterday evening.

He said the two countries will continue to work on these ideas in the next few months, Channel NewsAsia reported Dr Balakrishnan as saying after meeting his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during an introductory visit to Beijing.

“We both reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. This is an essential lifeline for China and for all ASEAN (Association of South-east Asian Nations) countries because so much of our trade and energy flows through this area,” he said at a press conference.

Singapore is not a claimant state in the South China Sea, but as the country coordinator of ASEAN-China relations, has said that it will focus on the formulation of the Code of Conduct in the disputed waters. The code will set guidelines for parties involved in disputes to manage tensions and avoid conflict.

After his meeting Mr Wang, Dr Balakrishnan said they have agreed to expedite negotiations on formulating the Code of Conduct.

Mr Wang said China’s stance on the South China Sea remains unchanged, that specific disputes should be settled by the countries directly involved through dialogue and negotiation. But he added that Beijing is ready to work with ASEAN to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, while expediting consultations on the Code of Conduct.

Tensions have arisen at the South China Sea over China’s missile deployment, test flights and island building in the area. China claims most of the waters and has been building runways and other infrastructure on artificial islands to bolster its title.

The United States does not recognise China’s claims and, in recent months, has sailed warships and flown military aircraft near the Chinese outposts to assert its right to freedom of navigation to assure unimpeded passage through the region, where Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims.

A press statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs late yesterday also said Dr Balakrishnan conveyed concerns expressed his ASEAN counterparts during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Laos on Feb 27 on the situation in the South China Sea, stressing the importance of non-militarisation and self-restraint in the conduct of activities to lower the temperature and prevent incidents in the regional waters.

The two foreign ministers also discussed ASEAN-China relations including the 25th anniversary of Dialogue Relations in 2016. The celebrations will culminate in the ASEAN-China Commemorative Summit later this year.

Dr Balakrishnan was also in Beijing to follow up on the progress of the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI) and the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA), with both sides aiming to conclude the FTA upgrade by the end of this year.

Both the CCI and CSFTA were launched during President Xi Jinping’s State Visit to Singapore last November. CCI is the third urban mega project between Singapore and China in the western Chinese city of Chongqing while the CSFTA was signed in 2009 and both Singapore and China agreed to launch negotiations to upgrade it during Mr Xi’s visit.

During Dr Balakrishnan’s meeting with Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao yesterday afternoon, the two leaders reaffirmed the excellent state of Singapore-China relations, underscored by the “All-Round Cooperative Partnership Progressing with the Times” that characterises the longstanding, innovative and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries.

Dr Balakrishnan and Mr Li agreed that the countries should continue their longstanding human resource development exchanges that allow both sides to benefit from each other’s developmental experiences, said the MFA statement.

Dr Balakrishnan and Mr Wang also touched on the CSFTA, with the press statement noting that “both sides aim to achieve a comprehensive and substantive CSFTA upgrade by end-2016”. During the meeting with Mr Wang, Dr Balakrishnan reaffirmed Singapore’s consistent “One China” policy and expressed support for the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.

Dr Balakrishnan concludes his visit to China today after meeting State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Communist Party of China International Department Minister Song Tao. He is also scheduled to meet Cyberspace Administration of China Minister Lu Wei in his capacity as Minister-in-charge of Singapore’s Smart Nation Programme Office. AGENCIES