The completion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea – which has been under negotiation since 2002 or more than two decades ago – will still take some time, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
This as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to make a strong push for a statement on recent Chinese incursions in the West Philippine Sea during the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Indonesia next week, DFA ASEAN Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu said.
“It [COC negotiation] has been happening for a long time. I think it will take a little bit longer to finish it,” Espiritu said.
He said discussions on the issue should not be rushed.
“There’s a lot [of impediments], including the different national interests. Since there are several countries and ASEAN is also involved, we have to come up with a compromise every step of the way,” the DFA official added.
During the 42nd ASEAN Summit in May, Mr. Marcos called on the bloc to hasten the completion of the legally binding pact with China.
During his trip to Jakarta from Sept. 5 to 7, the President is set to hold bilateral meetings with at least four leaders: Korean PresidentYoon Suk Yeol, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.
Espiritu added that the President is also eyeing to discuss food and energy security, migrant workers protection, and the country’s potential in the digital economy with his counterparts during the summit.
“Other priority areas of cooperation with dialogue partners will also be discussed. The President will continue to promote our rules-based international order, including UNCLOS, especially in the South China Sea,” the official added.
Espiritu disclosed that the Philippines was able to express its “displeasure” over recent incursions in the West Philippine Sea, including the water cannon attack by Chinese Coast Guard vessels against Philippine Coast Guard ships en route to Ayungin Shoal for a resupply mission, during an ASEAN-China meeting on the COC last August 22 to 24.
“We stressed that all these actions should be avoided because they undermine trust, they escalate tension in the South China Sea, and they undermine peace and stability in the area,” he said.
Espiritu said among the points discussed during the negotiations were the definition of necessary terms; the legal or the non-legal binding nature of the COC; the relationship of the previous Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea; and the purview of geographic extent of the COC.
“These things are very detailed and very wide in themselves,” he said.