Philippines sets year-end target for sea code talks

THE PHILIPPINES is looking to complete discussions on the Code of Conduct (CoC) in the South China Sea by December, Senator Erwin T. Tulfo said on Wednesday.

“The dialogue of the Philippine government and Chinese government is ongoing in the Code of Conduct. That’s what they’re finishing. Hopefully, by December that will be over,” Mr. Tulfo told a news briefing, after his first meeting with Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro as Foreign Relations Committee chair.

The government is also seeking to accelerate the completion of the CoC as the Philippines assumed chairship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Manila has been advocating for a framework that balances China’s interests with other claimant states, providing legally binding rules for maritime conduct, dispute resolution and conflict prevention.

He added that the Chinese government has become more amenable to further discussions into finalizing the proposed agreement.

“It seems that the Chinese government has seen the proposed Code of Conduct and they are okay with it, they are slowly accepting it to ease the tension,” he said.

The CoC, first pledged in 2002, aims to manage disputes in the strategically critical waters, which serve as a corridor for trillions of dollars in annual trade.

But progress has been slow, with legal, political and strategic differences among ASEAN members and China repeatedly delaying the process.

Beijing and Manila have clashed repeatedly in recent years in the South China Sea, where Chinese vessels have engaged in dangerous maneuvers and fired water cannons at Philippine fishing boats.

Mr. Tulfo also noted that the series of sharp exchanges between Chinese diplomats and Philippine officials could delay the approval of the CoC.

“The finalization of the Code of Conduct has been stalled based on the explanation of the secretary, due to the ongoing spat between the two groups,” he said.

The senator added that the Department of Foreign Affairs was pushing for officials to “tone down” aggressive remarks against China to prevent further stalling discussions on the CoC.

“They were just hoping to tone it down a bit because the dialogue is ongoing. But the dialogue between the Philippine government and the Chinese Embassy is ongoing. That’s what they’re finishing and pursuing,” Mr. Tulfo said.

Mr. Tulfo, who was appointed committee chair just this Monday, added that he would meet with fellow lawmakers and the National Security Council to avoid further “personal attacks” against Beijing.

Officials from Beijing and Manila have been in an ongoing “word war” after the Chinese Embassy in Manila issued several statements criticizing officials over their vocal stance on the disputed waterway.

Those statements, some of which directly called out individual officials, prompted pushback from Philippine authorities, who said the messaging crossed diplomatic norms.

The South China Sea remains one of the region’s most volatile flashpoints. China has expanded its presence despite a 2016 ruling by a United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal that voided its sweeping claims over the waters. — Adrian H. Halili