MANILA: The Philippines is firmly committed to negotiations for a code of conduct between China and Southeast Asian countries to avert confrontations in the South China Sea, its foreign minister said on Thursday (Feb 15).
Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo also said tensions in the South China Sea were not all about a rivalry between superpowers the United States and China, and the Philippines, and others, had legitimate rights and interests to uphold.
Such view will “not help in an honest understanding of the situation”, he told reporters.
“It obscures good judgment, actions that are clearly illegal in international law and against the UN charter are sometimes rationalised under the pretext of this rivalry.”
He also voiced concern about regional tensions over nearby Taiwan and urged all parties to remain in direct contact.
The idea of a code of conduct was hatched more than two decades ago but parties only committed to begin the process in 2017. Little progress has been made, however, with negotiations on the contents of the code yet to move forward.