KUALA LUMPUR: China has committed to signing the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty “as soon as possible” without reservation, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

The Foreign Minister said Beijing’s commitment marks a significant step forward for Asean.

“China has made a commitment to ensure that it will sign the SEANWFZ Treaty without reservation.

“This is something very good for Asean.

“(China will sign the treaty) as soon as possible when the documentation is ready,” he told reporters after the Asean Post-Ministerial Conference with China.

Mohamad described the meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as “very good”, noting that discussions also covered routine bilateral and multilateral issues.

These discussions included ensuring free passage and open skies in the South China Sea, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Meanwhile, Wang said the completion of negotiations for the China-Asean Free Trade Area 3.0 to be signed this year would deepen ties between China and Asean member states.

He said stability on South China Sea issues would also be effectively managed with the third rea­ding of the Code of Conduct (COC).

“We have completed the third reading of the COC consultation, effectively managed differences and maintained overall stability at sea,” he said.

When met on the sidelines of the Asean+3 (China, Japan and South Korea) meeting, Wang did not respond when asked if he would meet United States Secre­tary of State Marco Rubio.

“We oppose excessive tariffs,” he told reporters briefly when asked about China’s stance towards the tariffs.

On July 9, US President Donald Trump announced a slew of tariffs, where Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Tunisia and Kazakh­stan were slapped with a 25% ra­te.