‘Tensions are increasing’: Marcos urges ASEAN leaders to finalize SCS conduct
MANILA, Philippines — While in a summit with other Southeast Asian leaders, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said he will again encourage his counterparts to finalize the South China Sea Code of Conduct and address issues on the text to keep tensions at bay.
Marcos Jr. said he hopes the document is released “sooner rather than later because tensions are increasing.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs said in December last year though that the document is still “very far from concluding.”
Despite noting that each ASEAN member-state and China has their own interests and bilateral agreements with other states, the chief executive still said that the document can help keep peace in the disputed waterway—much of which is covered by Beijing's expansive nine-dash claims. This intrudes over to the West Philippine Sea, as provided by a 2016 ruling at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and in waters claimed by Brunei, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
Issues, such as the use of strong language against China, have kept negotiations at a standstill.
“We have to discuss amongst ourselves when it comes to this problem—what is the bottleneck? Where are we having a hard time? How can you fix that problem… everybody wants to have a Code of Conduct, so what’s getting in the way, let’s talk about it,” Marcos Jr. told reporters there on Tuesday evening.
The document has been in the works for years with talks getting affected by the pandemic, but ASEAN foreign ministers recently committed to finalize negotiations.
Noel Novicio, deputy assistant secretary and executive director of the DFA’s Office of ASEAN Affairs, said some diplomats prefer to hold discussions in-person.
He added that only the preamble of the COC has been finalized. The document still has to undergo its second reading as of December.
“It is important that we have this so rules are clear,” Marcos Jr. said in Filipino.
“[The] Code of Conduct would prescribe what we can do, how we operate, and if there’s a problem, this is how we resolve it.”
Manila and Beijing, despite having a direct communication line to discuss issues in the West Philippine Sea, still have disagreements over incidents in the waters.
Philippine and Chinese vessels nearly collided last month in waters around Ayungin Shoal. While Manila emphasized it had “every right” to carry out the routine patrol, Beijing insisted that it was an intrusion into its territory.
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