Concluding South China Sea COC Key To Regional Stability - Philippines’ Marcos
By Linda Khoo & Nur Atiq Maisarah Suhaimi
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has emphasised that concluding the long-delayed Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea is crucial, describing it as the foundation for managing disputes and safeguarding regional stability.
As the Philippines prepares to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship next year, he said Manila will continue to push for the early conclusion of an effective and substantive COC that is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
“I sincerely hope so (for the COC to be finalised under the Philippines’ chairmanship). I think it is a great opportunity to finally get the COC agreed upon, signed, and delivered,” he told Bernama in an exclusive interview with Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj.
Marcos was in Kuala Lumpur to attend the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, which concluded on Tuesday.
The COC for the South China Sea is seen as a legally binding instrument aimed at ensuring peace, managing competing claims, and preventing conflicts among claimant states, including the Philippines.
Marcos said the COC would provide clarity and transparency on the rules, responsibilities, and actions of all parties involved.
“Until then, it will be difficult for the region to move forward,” he said.
Marcos said the conclusion of the COC would significantly change the dynamics in the South China Sea and the wider Indo-Pacific region.
The Philippines has long reminded all parties that an agreed COC is the best way to ensure peace and lasting stability in the region, he added.
The COC negotiations have completed the third reading of the Single Draft COC Negotiating Text (SDNT), marking steady progress and encouraging continued positive momentum aimed at producing a binding and effective framework to manage tensions and prevent conflicts in the disputed waters.
Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said five rounds of COC negotiations are being held this year in various ASEAN and Chinese cities – Jakarta in February, Manila in April, Kuching in August, Singapore in September, and a final round in China in November.
In July, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said ASEAN is confident that an effective and substantive COC can be concluded in the near future, with the full commitment of all negotiating parties.
The South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest trade routes and a region rich in marine and mineral resources, has long been a flashpoint between China and several ASEAN member states, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.
Although ASEAN and China have held talks for years, a binding code has yet to materialise, with the bloc aiming to conclude it by 2026.
Malaysia officially handed over the ASEAN Chairmanship to the Philippines on Tuesday.
-- BERNAMA
