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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Timor-Leste backs South China Sea code: Countries must follow rules-based order

Timor-Leste backs South China Sea code: Countries must follow rules-based order

Published Oct 22, 2025 03:03 pm
Timor-Leste Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas and DFA Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro shake hands after holding a joint press conference and bilateral meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (Raymund Antonio/MANILA BULLETIN)
Timor-Leste Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas and DFA Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro shake hands after holding a joint press conference and bilateral meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (Raymund Antonio/MANILA BULLETIN)
Timor-Leste, which will soon finalize its membership to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), expressed its support for the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and its commitment to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in ensuring peace and stability in the highly disputed region.
Timor-Leste Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas, who had a bilateral meeting with Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro on Wednesday, Oct. 22, stressed the importance of de-escalating the current tensions in the region.
“Timor-Leste maintains a principled, neutral, and law-based stance regarding the formulation of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. Timor-Leste supports ASEAN's efforts to promote peace, stability, and freedom of navigation in the region,” he said during a press conference after their meeting.
“We reiterate commitments to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as the legal foundation for resolving maritime disputes,” he added.
The minister also stressed the importance of implementing the Declaration of Conduct (DOC) in the region and encouraged all the involved parties “to expedite the agreement on comprehensive and effective COC.”
“The government calls for self-restraint, de-escalation, and peaceful dialogue; rejecting actions that could heighten tensions and all militarizations in the Indo-Pacific,” he furthered.
Recognizing that the dispute between the Philippines and China is a “very, very complex global issue,” Freitas underscored that his country will follow the principles of the United Nations, the ASEAN Charter, and the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Outlook.
“It's really very important. We have to cooperate. And we follow with the ASEAN state members, a few, in the dialogue consensus to reach a more favorable situation, solution for whatever the complexities we face,” he pointed out.
Lazaro, for her part, said there are already possibilities of “cooperative endeavors” between the two countries, pointing out that the Philippines and Timor-Leste have their “own respective disputes through certain provisions of both laws.”
However, she admitted that Timor-Leste is “more or less, they are successful with their peace and settlement” while “ours is still being challenged.”
“But there's always room and definitely a lot of issues to be discussed considering the proximity as well as the nature of individuals,” the DFA chief said.
Freitas and his delegation are currently in the Philippines, with Oct. 26 reserved for its full ASEAN membership during the 47th Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In 2022, Timor-Leste was granted “in-principle” membership and since then has worked to meet the commitments required for full membership.

Related Tags

Timor-Leste UNCLOS South China Sea Bendito dos Santos Freitas ASEAN
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