Maritime cooperation among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) might help conclude a binding Code of Conduct (COC) in the disputed South China Sea region, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo said.

DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat held in Langkawi, Malaysia on Jan. 19, 2025. (Photo from Manalo via X post)

In a video interview posted by Free Malaysia Today, which was shared by the DFA to the Philippine media, the secretary explained why ASEAN members must be free to enter into enhanced cooperation with each other as this will also be for the betterment of China.
 

“We have the basic negotiations between the ASEAN countries and China but I think this doesn’t prevent other countries from seeking maritime cooperative activities with each other, because that, too, will help even with China,” he said.
 

“So, all of these (efforts) could work and be supportive of the negotiations of the Code of Conduct. So, I would not look at things as alternatives to the code,” he stressed.
 

While the 2012 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) reaffirmed ASEAN’s and China's commitment to the adoption of the more binding COC to promote peace and stability in the contested region, negotiations for the COC that began in 2018 have been derailed because of disagreements on the Code’s geographical scope and the involvement of external powers.
 

But Manalo, who was in Langkawi, Malaysia over the weekend for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat, believed that “countries could find ways to address the situation in the South China Sea.”
 

“Whatever way works, I think they should be promoted,” the official added.
 

The Philippines has been pushing for the conclusion of the Code, with President Marcos calling for speedy COC negotiations during the 27th ASEAN-China Summit in Laos last October 2024.
 

This came amid China’s increasingly aggressive stance in the resource-rich region, asserting territorial and maritime claims that overlap with the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
 

Meanwhile, Manalo also shared on X (formerly Twitter) about his attendance to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat, the first meeting under Malaysia’s chairmanship.
 

“We had good discussions on international developments including the situation in Myanmar, South China Sea, and the Middle East and addressing regional and international issues such as climate change and transnational crimes,” he wrote.
 

“Looking forward to more productive and meaningful engagements with Malaysia under its Chairmanship theme ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’,” he added.
 

The DFA chief also shared photos of the meeting, including one that was seemingly taken during a reception held in honor of the foreign ministers.