China has pledged to continue cooperating with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and has urged the grouping to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
Its call came during the Asean-China consultation meeting held in Beijing last week _ the first since China's change of leadership.
China, which sent a new team of negotiators, reaffirmed its commitment to cooperate with Asean.
Arthayudh Srisamoot, director-general of the Asean Affairs Department, said Asean and China agreed to implement the DOC through joint activities.
The DOC, adopted in 2002, is a set of guidelines across several areas of cooperation including environmental protection, search and rescue operations, transnational crime suppression, and ecosystem protection.
"China would like to build cooperation with Asean before negotiating further on the issue of the code of conduct," Mr Arthayudh said.
The Thai delegation was appointed last year by Asean members to coordinate the talks between China and Asean for three years. Sihasak Phuangketkaew, the permanent secretary for foreign affairs, led the Thai delegation in Beijing.
The relationship between Asean and China has been strained after China deployed its navy into the South China Sea, a territory claimed by six surrounding countries.
Asean countries Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as China and Taiwan have claimed ownership over the sea.
However, in a move that could thaw tensions, Asean and China last week agreed to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their relationship, and to upgrade their relations to become the Asean-China Strategic Partnership.
Under the partnership, Thailand proposed four areas of cooperation _ fisheries (including tuna conservation), marine transport, coastal development and maritime security.
Bangkok will hold a working group meeting on the DOC in July to further discuss cooperation on environment and search and rescue.
Mr Arthayudh said China also offered to host a special meeting to explore railway development in China. "Although China has changed its negotiating team, its position remains the same," Mr Arthayudh said. "But Thailand will try to persuade it to engage more with Asean."