VIENTIANE — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has advocated for discussions on the South China Sea, where recent clashes have occurred between Chinese coast guard vessels and Philippine government boats, as well as against Vietnamese fishermen.

Beijing asserts almost total control over the South China Sea, a crucial waterway for global trade worth trillions of dollars annually. Four ASEAN members — Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines — have competing claims to various islands and reefs in the sea.

Marcos confirmed on Wednesday that he addressed the South China Sea issue during the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits.

When questioned by the Philippine media, he confirmed the discussions but noted that he did not delve into specific details.

“I didn’t specify the details, but that’s the general principle of adherence to the rule of law and UNCLOS,” Marcos explained, adding that further details may be discussed in the coming days.

End Myanmar civil war

Late Wednesday, the Asean leaders urged the Myanmar junta and its opponents to take “concrete action” to end the civil war in the country.

The leaders meeting in Laos condemned the attacks on civilians and “urged all parties involved to take concrete action to immediately halt the indiscriminate violence,” according to a draft summit communique seen by AFP.

The Southeast Asian leaders met with a representative from Myanmar’s junta to revive the stalled diplomatic efforts to end the civil war.

For three years, Asean has struggled to find a resolution to the Myanmar crisis, which has resulted in thousands of deaths and millions displaced.

First representation

The bloc had previously barred junta leaders from its summits after the February 2021 coup, but the junta has sent a senior foreign ministry official to the meeting in Laos, marking its first representation at a high-level gathering since then.

The shift comes after the military’s invitation to its opponents to hold peace talks amid recent battlefield defeats.

Although the junta had previously agreed to a “five-point consensus” for peace with Asean, it largely ignored the agreement in favor of a violent crackdown on dissent.

Phl, Vietnam enhance ties

Meanwhile, Marcos and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing the strategic partnership between their nations on the sidelines of the Asean Summits in Laos.

Marcos said his bilateral meeting with Chinh opened up opportunities for both the Philippines and Vietnam to explore new areas of cooperation and economic partnership, particularly in trade and agriculture.

“We have made a good deal of progress since our very first discussion and some of the engagements between our two countries. And I am very happy that we will be able to pursue that,” he said.

According to the Presidential Communications Office, both leaders expressed their shared commitment to celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Philippines-Vietnam Strategic Partnership in 2025 “by advancing collaboration in key sectors.”

During the meeting, Marcos extended his condolences for the losses caused by typhoon “Yagi” and the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Prime Minister Chinh, meanwhile, expressed his gratitude to President Marcos for his condolences to the typhoon victims, the people of Vietnam, and the family of the late general secretary.

He also reaffirmed Vietnam’s “unwavering support” for expanding its strategic partnership with the Philippines.

The Philippines and Vietnam earlier signed various agreements on rice trade cooperation, incident prevention in the South China Sea, agriculture, and cultural cooperation.