ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider South China Sea code of conduct talks should proceed despite COVID-19 --- Locsin

South China Sea code of conduct talks should proceed despite COVID-19 --- Locsin

Published Apr 9, 2021 07:09 pm

The coronavirus pandemic should not be an excuse to delay the crafting of a code of conduct in the South China Sea, according to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.

Locsin made a pitch to continue the negotiations after observing there has been "dilly-dallying" over the proposed code of conduct since the onset of the pandemic. 

The country's top diplomat made the statement after armed Chinese ships reportedly tried to intimidate a local vessel and chased it away from an area in the West Philippine Sea. The latest incident is now being investigated by defense authorities.

"This is why it is imperative for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to adopt a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea whereby all parties, China included, accept restraints," Locsin tweeted Friday, April 9.

"As China coordinator, the Philippines insists on ASEAN cooperation and no dilly-dallying which is what’s happening.  Covid is no excuse," he added.

Locsin recognized the need for the code of conduct especially in terms of dealing with civilian vessels sailing in the disputed South China Sea.

"But this opens a whole new area of interest: what about civilians out at sea koz they feel like it? Feelings sufficient? Or its just a song?" he tweeted.

"I’m not being sarcastic. Seriously, what if Filipinos on a pleasure craft, one of many yachts out there, crosses an invisible line drawn by China IN Philippine waters? What if they are fired upon or heaven forbid rammed—no, not that; those yachts cost millions of dollars," he added.

If such a scenario happens, Locsin assured that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) would pursue a "strong protest" over the injury or death of "pleasure-seekers."

"What else can we exact? Would China actually say, ‘they are in our territory.’ But if one went to HK without a visa would it be right to shoot one? See, a whole new area of interest," he added.

On the Filipino vessel supposedly chased away by armed Chinese ships, Locsin wanted to get more details about the incident.

He admitted though that the country's mutual defense treaty with the United States would only be applied if there will be an attack on a Philippine public vessel. "ABSCBN doesn’t even have a franchise, to be cuentas claras about it," he commented.

EMBED https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/09/dnd-dfa-to-address-latest-china-incident-in-west-ph-sea-says-roque/

The code of conduct has remained elusive since the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea was forged in 2002. The code aims to be a legally binding document governing the conduct of nations in the disputed waters and promote peace and stability in the region.

In 2019, ASEAN and China sought to conclude the talks on code of conduct within three years or earlier. The pandemic however has derailed the talks as negotiators could not meet in person to complete the document.  

Four ASEAN member-states namely the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei are locked in dispute with China over the resource-rich South China Sea. Tension in the region has risen following Manila's recent protest against the presence of Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea.

EMBED https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/03/ph-china-renew-vaccine-cooperation-pact-commitment-to-sea-code/

ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.