The joint statement, issued at the conclusion of the Australia-Japan-United States Trilateral Strategic Dialogue Ministerial, 6 August 2017, touched upon the maritime disputes in the South China Sea. Calling upon all claimants to clarify their claims in compliance with UNCLOS and to respect the Philippines-China Arbitration Award, the statement also called for the proposed ASEAN Code of Conduct for the South China Sea to be legally binding.
For more information see the Joint Statement here. For the ASEAN and China consensus on a framework for the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea (without reference to its legal status) see the Joint Communiqué of the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting here.
De Maribus 