JAKARTA, Indonesia — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has lauded the latest developments in negotiations for a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, saying they were in accordance with international law.

Marcos said this during the 26th Association of the Southeast Asian Nations-China (ASEAN-China) Summit here on Sept. 6.

In his intervention during the summit, the President said he was pleased by how the latest round of negotiations that took place in Manila went.

"Some progress was made in discussing the milestone issues and a preliminary review of the Single Draft Negotiating Text (SDNT),” Marcos addressed other ASEAN leaders and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

“The early conclusion of an effective and substantive COC that is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, remains the goal for ASEAN and for China,” he added.  

President Marcos likewise emphasized that universal multilateralism is the only recourse for all stakeholders in an interconnected and interdependent world amid geopolitical challenges and macroeconomic fragilities.

In addition, he underscored the need to enhance ASEAN connectivity and supply chain, stressing that among the priority areas of the SEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), maritime cooperation is especially significant to the Philippines as an archipelagic nation.

“We must emphasize that practical cooperation in the maritime domain can only flourish with an enabling environment of regional peace, security, and stability, anchored in international law,” he said.

“The Philippines, therefore, continues to uphold the primacy of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as the framework within which all activities in the seas and oceans are conducted. We once again reaffirm our commitment to the rule of law and peaceful settlement of disputes,” he added.

Malaysia and Singapore also pushed for the finalization of the COC during the ASEAN-China Summit.

Trade  

Meanwhile, Marcos said the ongoing ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 upgrade negotiations will encourage stronger ties between ASEAN and China, saying that the regional bloc has identified and leveraged complementarities between China’s initiative and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

"To further expand mutual trade, efforts at enhancing ASEAN connectivity and supply chains must come to fruition," he said.

Marcos also cited the importance of the opportunity to reaffirm and build on relations under the framework of the ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership as this year marks the 20th anniversary of China’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.