LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said he would renew his call to finalize the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea as he believes it would be the key to resolving issues between Southeast Asia and China.
President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (Yummie Dingding/PPA Pool)
Marcos said this before he met his fellow leaders at the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit here on Wednesday, May 10.
In an interview with Filipino media, the President said he would bring the matter again to the table as he did at the previous ASEAN Summit in Cambodia last year.
"You cannot stop trying. So yes, I will bring it up again," he said on Tuesday, May 9.
"Because when we talk about the issues on the West Philippine Sea, South China Sea, hindi magkakalma' yan hanggang mayroon na tayong (they will not stop until we have a) Code of Conduct," he added.
"Solution to all of these problems is really the new Code of Conduct. Kaya paulit-ulit ko laging sinasabi ‘yan (That's why I always bring it up). In every forum I can find, sinasabi ko Code of Conduct kailangan nating tapusin (I say we must finish the Code of Conduct)," he continued.
The President said there were challenges that hindered the progress in crafting the Code of Conduct; one of them was the overlapping agreements between China and other countries in the region.
"It gets complicated because there are bilateral arrangements between member countries and with China that have to be resolved, that we need to resolve so that we can have a common Code of Conduct," Marcos 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.
Last month, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said that completing the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea is unlikely this 2023, as there were many things to consider.
"You need all the countries to agree, so that alone takes time," he told GMA Integrated News.
"We have bigger issues, too. Political issues, whether the code will be legally binding or not, we're not yet there," he added.
Negotiations on the COC resumed in Jakarta in early March. It was the 38th meeting of the Joint Working Group and will be held at the ASEAN Secretariat.