ASIATODAY.ID, VIANTIANE – President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged the leaders of Southeast Asian countries and China to immediately speed up negotiations regarding the establishment of a code of conduct (CoC) in the South China Sea.
Marcos also accused Beijing of harassment and intimidation in the region.
Marcos revealed this when speaking before the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Chinese Prime Minister, Li Qiang, at the ASEAN Summit in Laos on Thursday, October 10 2024.
Marcos said substantive progress needed to be made and all parties must be open in earnest to seriously address differences and reduce tensions.
Meanwhile, China and the United States’ ally, the Philippines, are at odds over a series of confrontations near disputed territory in South China. The Philippines accused China’s coast guard of aggression and Beijing was angry over what it said were repeated provocations and territorial incursions.
The dispute has escalated and raised regional fears of an escalation that could eventually involve the United States, which has a 1951 defense treaty requiring it to defend the Philippines if attacked.
“There must be greater urgency in the pace of ASEAN-China code of conduct negotiations,” Marcos said at the meeting, according to a statement from his office.
“It is unfortunate that the overall situation in the South China Sea remains tense and unchanged. We continue to be targets of harassment and intimidation.”
Based on its old maps, China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has deployed a coast guard fleet deep into Southeast Asia, including the exclusive economic zones of Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The idea of a maritime code was first agreed between China and ASEAN in 2002, but the formal process of creating one only began in 2017. Progress has been very slow, with years spent discussing the framework and negotiating modalities and guidelines issued to try speed it up.
Some ASEAN members are concerned that this code of ethics will not be legally binding. Marcos voiced his frustration that the parties involved could not agree on much, adding that the definition of fundamental concepts such as ‘self-control’ had yet to gain consensus.
ASEAN leaders will meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday before the East Asia Summit plenary meeting the following day.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba are scheduled to hold their first summit in Laos on Thursday, as the two countries seek to deepen security and economic ties. Yoon has made improving relations with Tokyo and enhancing trilateral security cooperation involving Washington a top diplomatic priority, building on progress achieved by Yoon and Ishiba’s predecessor, Fumio Kishida.
South Korea and ASEAN announced in Vientiane that they had established a comprehensive strategic partnership, which Yoon said would develop defense industrial cooperation and contribute to strengthening ASEAN’s cybersecurity capabilities.
Negotiations were also completed on improving the ASEAN-China free trade area, according to Singapore’s commerce ministry, covering customs, supply chain connectivity, competition and consumer protection, as well as non-tariff barriers.
The meeting in Laos is also expected to discuss the crisis in Myanmar which started with a military coup in 2021 and then escalated into civil war. This conflict has haunted ASEAN, with differences of opinion among its members testing the country’s unity, credibility and ability to respond firmly to problems within the 10-member bloc.
Western countries have taken tougher action than ASEAN, imposing sanctions and accusing Myanmar’s generals of systematic atrocities. The junta called this misinformation.
Philippine President Marcos previously said ASEAN’s formal peace process, the “Five Point Consensus”, had so far not been successful and the bloc was now “trying to think of a new strategy”.
“We have to admit, we have not been very successful in improving the situation,” Marcos said. (ATN)
Follow Us at Google News and WA Channel