Marcos urges ASEAN, China to speed up negotiations on maritime code of conduct

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PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. pressed Southeast Asian leaders and China at a regional summit on Thursday to urgently speed up talks on a code of conduct in the South China Sea, while accusing Beijing of harassment and intimidation.

Speaking in Laos to the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Mr. Marcos said significant progress must be made and all parties must be “sincerely open to managing differences” and reducing tensions.

China and the US, the Philippines, have been at loggerheads following a series of clashes near disputed areas in the South China Sea, with Manila accusing the Chinese security guard of aggression and Beijing furious over what it calls repeated provocations and territorial incursions.

The lines have been heated and have raised regional concerns about an escalation that could eventually involve the United States, which has a 1951 defense treaty that obligates it to defend the Philippines if attacked.

“There should be more urgency in the negotiation of the ASEAN-China code of conduct,” Mr. Marcos said at the meeting, according to a statement from his office.

“It is sad that the overall situation in the South China Sea is still tense and has not changed. We continue to be harassed and threatened.”

In a statement, House Speaker Martin G. Romualdez said Mr. Marcos cited “recent abuses and brutal actions” by the China Coast Guard against Philippine ships and aircraft.

Mr. Marcos stressed the need for “a concerted and urgent effort to take measures to prevent its recurrence.”

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Tuesday confirmed reports that Chinese vessels fired on two of its vessels that were bringing Filipino fishermen to Scarborough Shoal, which Manila calls Bajo de Masinloc.

Mr. Marcos said that although China is aggressive, his country will continue to use all methods to manage tensions.

“The House of Representatives stands firmly behind President Marcos in his strong efforts to find common ground for all stakeholders in greater cooperation and security in the South China Sea,” said Mr. Romualdez, who was present at the conference.

“This conference is not just about foreign policy. The President is working hard to protect our natural resources, which directly affects our fishermen and the communities that depend on them for their livelihoods.”

Based on its old maps, China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has deployed a fleet of coast guards 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 it did not start until 2017.

Progress since then has been very slow, with the framework and methods of negotiations being debated for years and guidelines issued to try to speed it up. Some ASEAN members are concerned that the code of conduct will not be legally binding.

Marcos expressed frustration that the parties involved do not agree on many things, adding “the definition of a basic concept such as ‘restraint’ has not yet enjoyed consensus.”

ASEAN leaders will be joined on Thursday by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, new Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, ahead of Friday’s East Asia Summit.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japan’s Ishiba were scheduled to hold their first summit in Laos on Thursday, as the neighbors seek to deepen security and economic ties.

TYPHON MISSILE SYSTEM
Meanwhile, Senate President Francis G. Escudero on Thursday said there are no plans yet to “keep” Washington’s remaining midrange missile system in Manila in April, following joint exercises between their militaries amid growing tensions with Beijing.

“My understanding of the US defense plan was only related to the exercises that the United States is doing here and that there is no intention at the moment to keep it here permanently,” he told a news conference.

Reuters reported in September that the US has no immediate plans to withdraw its typhoon missile program from the Philippines and is studying its use in regional conflicts.

The US military flew the Typhoon, which can launch missiles consisting of SM-6 missiles and Tomahawks with a range of more than 1,600 kilometers (994 miles), to the Philippines in April in what it called a “historic first” and a “significant step in our country. in cooperation with the Philippines.”

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo C. Teodoro, Jr. he said Manila is considering all security measures to prevent Chinese aggression in the South China Sea.

Beijing and Moscow have criticized the move to keep Manila’s missile system, saying it could fuel an arms race in the region.

THE WAY OF RULE
Also on Thursday, Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros forced the government to redouble its efforts to pursue official solutions.

“If I am wrong, all members of the South China Sea are in compliance with the code of conduct,” he told a separate news conference in mixed English and Filipino.

“Only China is against the international process as it wants a bilateral process.”

ASEAN leaders discussed progress on South China’s code of conduct and agreed that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) should be followed in resolving maritime disputes, said Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura on Wednesday.

A 2016 ruling that rejected China’s claims in the South China Sea said the boat was a traditional fishing ground for Filipino, Chinese and Vietnamese fishermen. China has controlled the death toll since 2012.

The Philippines has not been able to enforce the ruling and has since filed hundreds of protests over what it calls piracy and harassment by China’s coast guard and dozens of its fishing vessels.

Ms. Hontiveros also agreed that the country should increase its domestic defense capabilities over maintaining Washington’s missile system, citing the recently signed Republic Act No. 12024, the Defense Accountability Renewal Act.

Mr. Marcos on Tuesday signed a bill requiring the Philippine government to pursue a self-defense status dependent on local producers.

Senator Joseph Victor G. Ejercito on Wednesday pushed for funding of at least P100 billion for the Philippine military’s modernization program to acquire more missile systems and warplanes to counter China’s maritime aggression.

This also comes amid the Philippines’ two-week military exercise with the United States, as well as four other countries, Australia, Japan, Canada, and France, and appears to build the Philippines’ defense capabilities. – John Victor D. Ordoñez again Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza with Reuters