President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. brought up the South China Sea dispute at the 45th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) and stressed the Philippines’ commitment to the rule of law and international norms.

Citing the country’s sovereign claims over a portion of SCS, Marcos highlighted the Philippines’ adherence to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award in its efforts to address and manage territorial disputes with China.

“We will have a chance to get into more detail maybe in the next couple of days,” said Marcos when asked if he brought up the South China Sea issues during the ASEAN retreat session.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the country’s sovereignty and sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea -- a portion of SCS which China also claims.

China's expansive claim to the entire SCS overlaps with the Philippines' exclusive rights to the WPS. Beijing's 9-dash line -- asserts encompass practically the entire WPS.

The Arbitral ruling, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also declared China has no legal basis to claim almost the entire SCS.

The Philippines and China are both parties to UNCLOS.

However, China does not recognize the ruling and continues to harass Philippine vessels in conducting legal maritime operations.

Other SCS claimants are Taiwan, Vietnam, and Malaysia.