Philippines Committed To Discuss Code Of Ethics In South China Sea

Philippine coast guard ship with Chinese coast guard ship in the South China Sea June 2023 (Wikimedia Commons/Philippine Coast Guard)

JAKARTA - The Philippines is strongly committed to negotiating a code of ethics between China and Southeast Asian countries to prevent confrontation in the South China Sea, Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo said on Thursday.

Foreign Minister Manalo said tensions in the South China Sea were not only caused by competition between the superpowers of the United States and China, as well as legitimate rights and interests to uphold those owned by other countries.

Such a view "will not help in understanding the situation honestly," he told reporters.

"This obscures good judgment, acts that are clearly illegal in international law and contrary to UN charters are sometimes rationalized under the pretext of this competition," he explained.

Foreign Minister Manalo also voiced concerns about regional tensions related to Taiwan, urging all parties to stay in touch.

Ideas about the code of ethics have been initiated more than two decades ago, but the new parties are committed to starting the process in 2017. Unfortunately, little progress has been made because negotiations regarding the contents of the code of ethics have not yet been continued.

This issue is very sensitive, as Beijing's neighboring countries are eager to base this code of ethics on international law, which Beijing has repeatedly accused of ignoring in asserting its claim to sovereignty over 90 percent of the South China Sea, although the claim was rejected by international arbitration courts.

"We are concerned about developments in our exclusive economic zone," said Foreign Minister Manalo.

It is known that the Philippines and China have clashed over the past year over maritime territory, with Manila accusing Beijing of repeatedly taking aggressive action within their EEZs. China has criticized the Philippines for violating its territorial borders.

The dispute escalated as the Philippines stepped up defense relations with the United States, including expanding access to its bases and a series of military exercises and patrols at sea, which irritated Beijing.

Foreign Minister Manalo said a "2+2" high-level meeting between the defense and foreign ministers of the Philippines and the United States had been planned, but the date had not yet been determined.