ASEAN ministerial delegates pose for a photo during the 18th ASEAN Political-Security Community Council Meeting on the sidelines of the 33rd ASEAN Summit in Singapore, on Tuesday. From left to right are representatives of Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand,  Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia (x2) and ASEAN Secretary General. (Photo: AP)

China hopes to finish negotiation over the South China Sea Code of Conduct within three years, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday in Singapore as the ASEAN Summit kicked off in the city state. 
Leaders of the ASEAN member countries gathered in Singapore on Tuesday to witness the opening of their 33rd summit themed "Resilient and Innovative."
China hopes to complete talks on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea within three years, clinching a final deal that will keep enduring peace in the region, Li said in a speech at the 44th Singapore Lecture.
Joint efforts of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have stabilized the South China Sea. Both sides should seize the chance to push for substantial progress on the COC talks, Li said.
The COC talks, launched by China and ASEAN countries, are a mechanism of equal participants, independent of external interference, he added.
"The single draft negotiating text is not merely a technical term, but an indication that China and ASEAN have reached consensus on ensuring peace and stability, freedom of overflight and navigation in the South China Sea," he said.
Gu Xiaosong, an expert on Southeast Asian Studies at the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that in recent years, China's relationship with the Philippines and Vietnam - the two claimant countries in the South China Sea - have remained positive.
He noted the South China Sea, free trade and market integration would both be hot topics of the summit.
China and Singapore on Monday upgraded their bilateral free trade agreement to include the Belt and Road initiative for the first time.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a daily briefing on Tuesday that the FTA would further apply the potential of China-Singapore trade cooperation and set a model for cooperation between countries of different sizes.
She said that signing the FTA shows China and Singapore's positive attitude and determination in supporting for free trade and economic globalization.
On Wednesday, ASEAN will hold summits with China, South Korea, Russia and Japan. 
Besides the ASEAN leaders and Chinese premier, other leaders attending the summit and related meetings include Russian President Vladimir Putin, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.