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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PH wants 'early conclusion' of South China Sea Code of Conduct---Locsin

PH wants 'early conclusion' of South China Sea Code of Conduct---Locsin

Published Feb 19, 2022 09:25 am

The Philippines is seeking the early conclusion of an effective Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea that would be inclusive and not put any nation at a disadvantage, Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. said.

West Philippine Sea (FILE PHOTO FROM AFP)

In his intervention during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Retreat in Phnom Penh, Cambodia this week, Locsin stressed the Philippines's desire to have an effective COC soon.

"We want an early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea that excludes no country or power in the rest of the world," he said.

"The COC will not nor can it claim for itself the sea after which it is named," he also said. "That would curtail the immemorial freedom of the seas and international law," he added.

According to Locsin, the Philippines appreciates initiatives to finally advance the negotiations for a Sea Code "beyond the provisional approval of the Preamble."

He likewise said that commitment to international law is the only "honorable bulwark of law-abiding nations against grim reapers of conflict who thrive in the obscurity of doubletalk."

"Surrender and submission are out of the question," he said.

For decades, ASEAN has been pushing for a legally-binding sea code, an accord that would determine the actions countries can take in the disputed waters.

It has adopted China's proposal to come up with an effective COC within three years, with the completion being eyed in 2022.

Meanwhile, Locsin said that the 20th anniversary of the Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea should be commemorated in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"The two landmark documents are fundamentally and inextricably linked. Likewise the anniversary of the Arbitral Award," he said.

He stressed that the UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award both provide legal clarity to all nations around the globe.

"These two landmark documents are not just beacons but the only coordinates pointing to a just and fair solution to disagreements," Locsin said.

Related Tags

ASEAN DFA Code of Conduct Association of Southeast Asian Nations UNCLOS Department of Foreign Affairs teddy boy locsin South China Sea West Philippine Sea Teodoro Locsin Jr.
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