The President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday that the country has engaged in discussions with neighbouring nations, including Malaysia and Vietnam to discuss a distinct code of conduct concerning the South China Sea.
President Marcos emphasized the limited advancements in reaching a comprehensive regional agreement with China, noting the escalating challenges in the South China Sea due to China’s increasing presence and the overlapping territorial claims of multiple nations.
In the past few years, ASEAN and China have worked towards creating a framework to negotiate a code of conduct, a plan dating as far back as 2002. However, progress has been slow despite commitments by all parties to advance and speed up the process.
China has shown interest in atolls and shoals that are “closer and closer” to the coast of the Philippines, with the nearest atoll about 60 nautical miles (111 kilometres) away, Marcos said.