Tensions in the South China Sea have pushed the Philippines to strengthen relationships with allies and neighbours in order to maintain peace in the region, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said at a forum in Hawaii on Sunday.
Marcos’ Comments
He added that Manila approached neighbours, such as Malaysia and Vietnam, to discuss a separate code of conduct regarding disputed waters in the South China Sea due to limited progress towards finalising a broader regional pact with China, and the situation is now “more dire.”
“We are still waiting for the code of conduct between China and ASEAN, and the progress has been rather slow, unfortunately,” Marcos said, referring to efforts by ASEAN.
“We have taken the initiative to approach those other countries around ASEAN with whom we have existing territorial conflicts, Vietnam being one of them, Malaysia being another, and to make our own code of conduct. Hopefully, this will grow further and extend to other ASEAN countries,” he stated.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Friday that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping both agreed that the present challenges in West Philippine Sea should not be the sum of the two countries’ relationship
— Presidential Communications Office (@pcogovph) November 18, 2023
Response from Regional Partners
The embassies of China, Malaysia, and Vietnam in Manila did not immediately respond to Reuter’s request for comment.
China has said that formulating a code of conduct for the strategic maritime body was an important task for it and ASEAN countries.
However, a spokesperson of its foreign ministry warned at a regular press briefing that “any move that deviates from the framework and runs counter to the spirit of the declaration on the conduct of parties (DOC) in the South China Sea is null and void.”
The latest remarks by Marcos come after his Friday meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco.
Among other agenda items, the leaders discussed ways to reduce tension in the disputed waters after a series of recent confrontations.
Relations between Beijing and Manila have frayed further under Bongbong Marcos, who has increasingly complained about China’s “aggressive” behaviour while simultaneously rekindling strong ties with the US.