China said on Thursday that it always strictly follows the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei made the comment in response to a question at a news briefing.

China attaches great importance to the DOC's role in maintaining regional stability and promoting mutual trust between China and member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said Hong.

Since the signing of the DOC in 2002, China has actively pushed forward the implementation of the follow-up actions of the DOC, he said.

In the past nine years, China and ASEAN countries have hosted two senior officials' meetings and established a joint working group on the implementation of the DOC, he said.

He said marine scientific research, marine environment protection and navigation safety have been selected as priorities of cooperation by the joint working group.

The joint working group also reached consensus on six cooperative projects, including disaster prevention and mitigation in the South China Sea and coordination on marine search and rescue missions.

The joint working group has held six meetings on a rotational basis between China and ASEAN nations since it was initiated in Manila in 2005.