ASEANEWS-ASIA GEOPOLITICS | MANILA: Binding sea code top Philippines priority in hosting Asean
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Marcos Jr. to ASEAN: Accelerate adoption of legally binding code of conduct in South China Sea | ANC
The World Tonight: Philippine President Marcos Jr. urges collective action from ASEAN to prevent geopolitical tensions from escalating. He spoke at the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia, where he called on the regional bloc to adopt a legally binding code of conduct for the South China Sea. / May 26, 2025
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MANILA, Philippines — Forging a binding code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea will be one of the Philippines’ top priorities when it chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year, President Marcos said.
“We will certainly try because it is very, very important,” Marcos said during a podcast interview aired yesterday when asked whether the country would take more concrete steps to advance the conclusion of a COC.
“And it’s very important to the Philippines because the (most hotly contested) area in the West Philippine Sea is right here on our side. So, it’s important to us that we have a code of conduct,” the President said.
During the ASEAN summit in Vientiane, Laos last year, Marcos called on fellow member-states of the bloc to expedite the completion of a COC that seeks to manage disputes in the South China Sea peacefully.
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Since 2002, ASEAN has sought to obtain China’s consent to a binding COC in the South China Sea, a critical trade route.
Apart from the Philippines and China, other ASEAN members Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have overlapping claims over the South China Sea.
During the interview, Marcos emphasized that a binding COC would prevent collisions, building of artificial islands and other aggressive actions.
Marcos also underscored the need to maintain an open line of communication with other claimant countries.
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The President made the response when asked about criticisms that the Philippines resorted to filing diplomatic protests as response to China’s dangerous maneuvers and blasting using water cannons of government vessels in the country’s waters.
“We can only control what we do. We cannot control what other countries do,” he said. “But we keep our lines of communication…Once the lines of communication are closed, then there is no room for improvement. That’s why we keep the lines of communication open.”
“We cannot just close it just like that. If you do that, the situation will worsen,” the President added.
The Philippines has been demanding that China adhere to international laws, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral ruling, which invalidated its sweeping claims in the South China Sea. Beijing continues to ignore the arbitral award.
In a speech at the ASEAN summit in Vientiane last year, Marcos called on member-states of the regional bloc “not to turn a blind eye to the aggressive, coercive and illegal actions of an external power against an ASEAN member-state.”
Meanwhile, Marcos said he hopes China “could warn us a little bit earlier” when it launches rockets so that the Philippines would know where to monitor falling debris.
The Philippine Space Agency confirmed that debris from a Chinese Long March 12 rocket landed in Philippine waters near Palawan.
“It’s not the first time that this has happened. If you look at the incidents, they did not commit any violations, there were no casualties,” Marcos said at a press conference in India on Friday.
Marcos said that during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2023, both countries committed to maintain appropriate communication mechanisms in handling rocket launches and their post-launch effects.
“I told President Xi, ‘We have no interest in your rockets,’” he said.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro earlier urged “all spacefaring states to conduct their space activities in a manner consistent with norms of responsible behavior and with due regard to the rights of interest of other states.”
Philippines commitment to Asean
Meanwhile, Marcos reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to the ASEAN principles of peace, inclusivity and regional cooperation as the regional bloc marked its 58th anniversary on Friday.
“We take pride in the Philippines’ role more than five decades ago when we laid the foundation for a region anchored on peace, cooperation, shared progress and prosperity,” Marcos said.
“Guided by the purpose and principles of ASEAN enshrined in its Charter, we have stood together in navigating evolving regional and global challenges over the years,” he added.
Chinese ships swarm Batanes
A “huge number” of vessels from China are already navigating the western and northern waters of the Philippines, including those that “bracketed” the maritime areas in Batanes, according to American maritime security expert Ray Powell.
“A huge number of PRC (People’s Republic of China) ships in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) today – 17 China Coast Guard (CCG) and 31 maritime militia visible on AIS (automatic information system), including on both sides of the Batanes islands in the north,” Powell posted on X yesterday.
The Chinese ships were “just the ones broadcasting – there are almost certainly more,” noted Powell, a former US Air Force official and defense attaché.
“It’s not clear what has prompted Beijing to ratchet up its maritime aggression against Manila at this time,” he said.
Powell noted that among the CCG vessels, three of them have “bracketed” the area of Batanes as of Aug. 7. “Three large CCG ships have taken up positions east, west and possibly north of the #Philippines’ northernmost Batanes Islands (those nearest Taiwan),” he said.
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