PHNOM PENH, March 25 -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen reiterated on Wednesday that the South China Sea dispute is the issue between claimant states and China, not between ASEAN and China. "It is not the issue of the whole ASEAN, but the issue between claimant countries and China," he said during a graduation ceremony of students at the National Institute of Education."They need to negotiate with each other."

The prime minister said all parties concerned in the dispute should continue negotiations peacefully based on international laws and agreed documents.

He added that all parties concerned in the dispute should fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) towards the compilation of the Code of Conduct ( COC).

The remarks were made just a month ahead of the 26th ASEAN Summit, which is scheduled to kick off in Malaysia from April 24 to 27.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.