On 30 January 2026, Mrs. Pawaree Xuto Chaipatiyut, Acting Director-General of the Department of ASEAN Affairs, represented the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs at the 25th ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (SOM-DOC) in Cebu, the Philippines.

The meeting reviewed the implementation of the DOC, exchanged views on the situation in the South China Sea, and provided guidance on expediting the COC negotiations towards its conclusion by the agreed timeline in 2026.

The 25th SOM-DOC was followed by the 51st Meeting of the ASEAN-China Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (JWG - DOC) between 30 January - 1 February 2026 where it continued the COC negotiations and discussed the Work Plan on the Implementation of the DOC for 2026.