Philippines urges quick resolution to South China Sea’s code of conduct as Asean summit looms: ‘What’s in the way?’

In March, the first round of discussions under Indonesia’s Asean chairmanship were inconclusive, something which Philippine leader Marcos finds perplexing
However he is not in favour of a deadline on China-Philippines negotiations, an issue he says has been ‘complicated’ by China’s separate talks with Asean states

The Philippines

SCMP’s Asia desk

Published: 5:00pm, 10 May 2023

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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has said he would push for a swift completion of a code of conduct for the South China Sea at this week’s Southeast Asian leaders’ meeting in Indonesia.

Marcos, who is in the fishing town of Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, to attend the Asean summit, appeared to be perplexed about why an agreement on the disputed waterway remains elusive despite decades-old efforts by the bloc and China.

“Where are we having a hard time? How can we fix that problem? That’s what these meetings should be for. And I think we’ll get to that point because everybody wants this to work. Everybody wants to have a code of conduct,” Marcos said on Tuesday. “So, what’s getting in the way? Let’s talk about it.”

Philippine coastguard vessel BRP Malabrigo deploys a boat to transport supplies at Philippine-occupied Nansha Island or locally called Lawak in the South China Sea. Photo: AP

He added that maritime rows in the resource-rich waters between China and four members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), including the Philippines, would not ease until the code of conduct was in place.

Marcos also said the vexed issue was “complicated” by China’s separate talks to Asean states and revealed that he was not in favour of imposing a deadline on the negotiations between his government and Beijing, which are making headway, The Manila Times reported.

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In March, the first round of the code of conduct discussions under Indonesia’s Asean chairmanship were inconclusive due to persistent discord among stakeholders.

Weighing in on the rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait, Marcos said the matter was a “grave concern” to Asean and it would be taken up at the three-day summit that ends on Thursday.

“Considering that we agree on the concept of Asean centrality when it comes to regional concerns, that will be one of the most important subjects that we will bring up,” he said.

A member of the Philippine Coast Guard watches from the bridge of the BRP Malabrigo as they patrol and resupply troops at Philippine-occupied areas in the South China Sea. Photo: AP

Beijing has long bristled at any external talks on Taiwan, which it views as a breakaway province to be united with the mainland, by force if necessary.

The Philippines last month gave the US access to four additional bases near the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, bringing the number of military sites Washington could use in the country to nine. China said the decision was “stoking the fire” of regional tension.

Marcos also touched on the convicted drug trafficker Mary Jane Veloso, who is facing the death penalty in Indonesia since 2010, saying his administration would continue fighting for her freedom.

“The impasse is that we continue to ask for a commutation or even a pardon or extradition back to the Philippines. That is constantly there,” he said.

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Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest anti-narcotics laws.

Manila last year urged Jakarta to grant clemency to Veloso, who was sentenced to death for carrying 2.6kg of heroin in her suitcase.

She claimed she went to Indonesia for a job as a domestic worker and was duped by an international drug syndicate into smuggling narcotics.

Veloso, who is currently in a Yogyakarta prison, was spared execution by firing squad in 2015 following a request from Manila after a recruiter, whom the convict had accused of planting drugs in her luggage, gave herself up to police in the Philippines.