Philippines urges quick resolution to South China Sea’s code of conduct as Asean summit looms: ‘What’s in the way?’

In March, the first round of discussions under Indonesia’s Asean chairmanship were inconclusive, something which Philippine leader Marcos finds perplexing

However he is not in favour of a deadline on China-Philippines negotiations, an issue he says has been ‘complicated’ by China’s separate talks with Asean states

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Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos will push for a swift completion of a code of conduct for the South China Sea at this week’s Southeast Asian leaders’ meeting in Indonesia. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:00pm, 10 May 2023Updated: 6:55pm, 10 May 2023

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has said he would push for a swift completion of a code of conduct for the South China Sea at this week’s Southeast Asian leaders’ meeting in Indonesia.

Marcos, who is in the fishing town of Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, to attend the Asean summit, appeared to be perplexed about why an agreement on the disputed waterway remains elusive despite decades-old efforts by the bloc and China.

“Where are we having a hard time? How can we fix that problem? That’s what these meetings should be for. And I think we’ll get to that point because everybody wants this to work. Everybody wants to have a code of conduct,” Marcos said on Tuesday. “So, what’s getting in the way? Let’s talk about it.”

Philippine coastguard vessel BRP Malabrigo deploys a boat to transport supplies at Philippine-occupied Nansha Island or locally called Lawak in the South China Sea. Photo: AP

He added that maritime rows in the resource-rich waters between China and four members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), including the Philippines, would not ease until the code of conduct was in place.

Marcos also said the vexed issue was “complicated” by China’s separate talks to Asean states and revealed that he was not in favour of imposing a deadline on the negotiations between his government and Beijing, which are making headway, The Manila Times reported.

In March, the first round of the code of conduct discussions under Indonesia’s Asean chairmanship were inconclusive due to persistent discord among stakeholders.

Weighing in on the rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait, Marcos said the matter was a “grave concern” to Asean and it would be taken up at the three-day summit that ends on Thursday.