Sea code urgently needed – Marcos
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stressed the need for a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea as he lamented THAT LITTLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE TO fiNALIZE IT.
A COC is needed now more than ever to maintain peace and stability in the disputed territory, the President reiterated.
“Nothing new actually has happened in terms of the code of conduct. We all just restated over and over again. Kailangan na magkaroon ng code of conduct (We need to have a code of conduct),” he said in a media briefing on the sidelines of the 40th and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summits and Related Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Marcos was among the heads of state who brought up the need for a COC at various summits.
“It is becoming more and more urgent. There’s been some progress in the past year, but we really need to have the actual code of conduct, already finalized and already in place as soon as possible,” he added.
Marcos said Asean leaders agreed to apply the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and uphold the international rule of law.
“Everybody, including the Chinese, says we follow Unclos and the international law. So at least that position of Asean is clear,” he said.
He said they also reached a consensus to abide by the One China Policy.
However, the President said tensions between China and Taiwan must be resolved “peacefully.” “We believe that Taiwan is part of China, but you must resolve those issues peacefully.
During his intervention at the 17th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Marcos renewed his pitch to maintain peace and stability in the highly contested sea.
“We must ensure that the South China Sea remains a sea of peace, a sea of security and stability, and of prosperity. With the Unclos and international law as our basis, the South China Sea will be a nexus of vibrant economic engagements and interactions, not an epicenter of armed conflict or geopolitical maneuverings,” Marcos said.
He said contracting parties of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia must be guided by the universal principles of “peaceful coexistence” and “friendly cooperation.”