China's Foreign Ministry said Monday that the country is willing to discuss the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea when "conditions mature," as the 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional talks kicked off in Cambodia.

Ministry spokesperson Liu Weimin reiterated at a press conference China's intentions to discuss with other ASEAN countries the formulation of a COC when the time is right.

"The COC is not designed to solve disputes in the South China Sea, but to promote mutual trust and cooperation between parties," he noted.

A series of ASEAN foreign ministers meetings will be held in Phnom Penh from Monday to Friday, focusing on a wide range of issues.

Senior officials from China and ASEAN countries held informal discussions regarding the COC on Sunday. During the meeting, they agreed to fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) signed in 2002 between ASEAN countries and China, as well as conduct substantial cooperation under its framework.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said in an opening address that Southeast Asian nations should give top priority to easing tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea, Bangkok Post reported.

Kao Kim Hourn, secretary of state at Cambodia's foreign ministry, said that the ASEAN foreign ministers agreed to have ASEAN senior officials meet with Chinese senior officials to discuss the COC.

"At the same time, they also encouraged both ASEAN and China to undertake the agreed five joint activities that had been raised in December last year," he said.

"China is working on a COC draft of its own as well, and it will take time before we can discuss it with ASEAN countries," Zhuang Guotu, director of the center for Southeast Asian Studies at Xiamen University, told the Global Times.

"The DOC has ensured peace in the area for the past decade by prohibiting the use of force. The COC will include details of solutions to possible confrontations or conflicts, which should be fair, technically feasible and established with both respect for history and consideration of the current situations," he said.

Yesterday's talks also focused on the issues in Syria, Korean Peninsula and Myanmar's democratization process, said Kao Kim Hourn.

Xinhua contributed to this story