Manila: The Philippine government has initiated talks with Southeast Asian nations party to the South China Sea to fast-track progress on the negotiation of a code of conduct (COC) in the disputed sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday. Speaking at the Pacific Forum-organized Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea, DFA Assistant Secretary Marshall Louis Alferez underscored the need to improve the pace of negotiation for an “effective COC”.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Philippines believes that improved coordination among the ASEAN claimant states is critical to making substantive progress. To this end, the country has initiated and will continue to convene informal coordination meetings with other ASEAN claimant states, as well as engaging with them bilaterally. Talks on crafting a COC have been ongoing since 2018 after its framework was adopted and endorsed by the leaders of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). However, progress was stalled during th
e pandemic as the health crisis made in-person meetings virtually impossible to convene.
In an ASEAN Summit last month, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. disclosed that the parties have yet to agree on the definition of a concept as basic as ‘self-restraint’. Despite divergences in positions and alignments among ASEAN member states, the hope remains that ASEAN will demonstrate a unified and stronger stance on this issue. Alferez emphasized the need to improve the pace of COC negotiations while expressing confidence that ASEAN will continue to serve as an agent for peace and security in the region.
The COC is envisioned to serve as a set of agreed rules to manage incidents and prevent disputes from escalating into armed confrontations in the South China Sea. Alferez stated that the agreed COC should be fully anchored on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and must effectively govern the behavior of parties at sea. Additionally, it should ensure that ‘third country user states’ or non-party st
ates continue to enjoy their rights and freedom in the South China Sea.
