ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider ASEAN, Chinese diplomats vow self-restraint amid South China Sea tension

ASEAN, Chinese diplomats vow self-restraint amid South China Sea tension

Published May 16, 2024 06:14 am

Diplomats from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China agreed to observe self-restraint in the South China Sea as they met in Thailand for another set of talks in the face of increasing tension in the contested waterway.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said that all parties to the Joint Working Group on the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties (JWG-DOC) in the South China Sea expressed commitment to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.

They also agreed to “continue to fully and effectively implement DOC, remain self-restraint, keep the momentum of dialogue and consultation, and finalize [the Code of Conduct at an early date,” Huang added.

The DOC is the first political document jointly issued by ASEAN member countries and China on the South China Sea issue that reflects the consensus reached by all parties on seeking peaceful solutions to disputes and conducting maritime cooperation in order to maintain regional stability in the waters.

JWG was first established in 2004 "to study and recommend measures to translate the provisions of the DOC into concrete cooperative activities that will enhance mutual understanding and trust," according to ASEAN.

The recent meeting, which was convened for the 43rd time from May 13 to 15, came at the height of Chinese harassment in the South China Sea, including ​in the West Philippine Sea, against Filipino fishermen and troops, among others.

On Thursday, several Chinese vessels blocked the path of ​the Philippine civilian convoy ​escorting the flotilla of fishing boats en route to Bajo de Masinloc, a feature well within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

China’s blockade was not new. It had done the same blocking of Philippine vessels and boats in the past so many times that it had been the subject of more than a hundred diplomat​ic protests filed by Manila against Beijing since the start of Marcos administration.

H​uang's pronouncement that China agreed to keep the dialogue open with other claimant states was made while China's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin made a warning that the Philippines will solely bear the consequences if it would abuse China's supposed goodwill.

The goodwill that Wang was referring to was when Beijing allowed Filipino fishermen to fish in the waters off Bajo de Masinloc in 2016. Bajo de Masinloc (also known as Panatag Shoal, Scarborough Shoal or Huangyan Dao for the Chinese) is part of the Philippines' EEZ, which means it has jurisdiction over the feature.

"f the Philippines abuses China’s goodwill and infringes upon China’s territorial sovereignty and jurisdiction, we will defend our rights and take countermeasures in accordance with the law," Wang said Wednesday after a coalition of civilian groups "Atin Ito" sailed over the waters.

"Relevant responsibilities and consequences shall be borne solely by the Philippines," he added.

Related Tags

declaration of conduct South China Sea West Philippine Sea
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.