Taipei, Taiwan – China and the Nations of Southeast Asia are “political” to establish legally binding rules for their South China Sea conduct next year, said the Foreign Affairs Secretary of the Philippines, despite two decades of non -conclusive discussions.
A code of conduct aims to establish a framework to guarantee peace in the Southern China Sea where the vast territorial demands of Beijing overlap with the exclusive economic zones of certain countries of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Vietnam.
“Everyone agreed that we would all like to have a code by 2026,” said Enrique Manalo at a maritime security forum in Manila on Thursday.
“We still have to tackle important questions such as the scope of the code, as well as the nature of the code and its relationship with the declaration of principles adopted in 2002 on the Southern China Sea,” he said.
“We hope, and we will do everything we can to try to achieve a successful negotiation.”
A Code of Conduct of the Sea of Southern China has been in discussion for more than two decades.
In addition, the deputy spokesperson of the National Council of the Philippines, Jonathan Malaya, described the talks as advancing at a “glacial pace”.
However, he was still optimistic, they would be wrapped in a year.
“I hope that, when the Philippines are presidents of [regional forum] The ASEAN, the code of conduct will be completed, “he said.
The Philippines will organize the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations in 2026.
Last year, the president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Fundamental questions such as the geographic scope and the legal status of a non-binding southern China Sea Declaration signed in 2002 must still be resolved, he said.
Chinese aircraft carrier spotted near the Philippines
The comments of the Philippin official on the code talks came while the country’s navy confirmed the presence of the aircraft carrier of the Chinese shandong near its waters.
On Tuesday, a Chinese electronic surveillance ship was also watched off the north coast of Luzon. The Philippine Navy challenged the presence of Chinese warships, according to a spokesperson for the CPT Navy. John Percie Alcos.
“They actually lead normal naval operations on the way to a specific destination that we still do not know. Their passage was rapid, ”said Alcos.
The Chinese warship was considered the Philippines, the United States and Japan was preparing to do joint navigation Thursday as part of Balikatan’s annual military exercises between Manila and Washington.
On Monday, the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Guo Jiakun criticized the Philippines for his military exercises with the United States
“The Philippines have chosen to conduct military exercises on a large scale with this country outside the region and have called on strategic and tactical weapons to the detriment of regional strategic stability and regional economic prospects, which puts them on the other side of regional countries,” he said.
Edited by Mike Firn and Stephen Wright.