Marcos calls for expedition of COC in South China Sea amid persisting territorial disputes

May 26, 2025 , 06:47 PM

By Rodolfo Dacleson II

(May 26, 2025) – Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Monday urged fellow leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to expedite the adoption of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea amid the persistent tension in the disputed waters.

He stressed collective action is essential in forwarding the regional bloc’s progress in addressing geopolitical tensions, among other territorial challenges.

“This is to safeguard maritime rights, promote stability, and prevent miscalculations at sea,” said Marcos in his speech during the plenary session of the 46th ASEAN Summit in Malaysia, as quoted by the Philippine News Agency.

Marcos also asserted that ASEAN must maintain regional peace, security, and stability as its central vision.

“In line with the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, the Philippines will continue to work so that ASEAN should be secure, peaceful, and stable, governed by the rule of law, prosperous and innovative,” he added.

Negotiations for the COC have been ongoing since the 1990s. It serves as a legal framework to prevent conflicts in the South China Sea, where claimant states have been involved in maritime rifts due to overlapping territorial claims.

Earlier this year, ASEAN and China completed the third reading of the Single Draft COC Negotiating Text. They aim to finalize it by 2026.

Key issues, however, remain unresolved, including the legal status of the code, geographic scope, and its relationship to the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

Various experts and institutions claimed China favors a non-binding agreement to ensure flexibility and bilateral negotiations as part of its broader strategy to maintain expansive claims and avoid external constraints.

Most recently, the Department of Justice emphasized the COC must be consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a legal framework governing activities in the seas and oceans worldwide. The Philippines and China were among the first countries to sign the UNCLOS.

ALSO READ: Code of Conduct in South China Sea must be consistent with UNCLOS, stresses DOJ

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration sided with the right to sovereignty of the Philippines in the disputed territories and invalidated China’s so-called nine-dash line.

China, however, simply dismissed the landmark ruling and incessantly bullied Philippine ships in recent years, particularly during resupply missions.

(JREC)

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