President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) to expedite the adoption of the Code of Conduct (CoC) in the South China Sea amid persistent regional tensions.


“We underscore the urgent need to accelerate the adoption of a legally binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to safeguard maritime rights, promote stability, and prevent miscalculations at sea,” Marcos said in his intervention. He added that the code is vital to ASEAN’s security and stability.

Tensions escalated on 21 May when the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel BRP Datu Sanday was sideswiped by a China Coast Guard ship, bow number 21559, in the West Philippine Sea. The CCG vessel also fired a water cannon at the Philippine ship, damaging Datu Sanday’s port bow and smokestack. The research mission was collecting sand samples near Pag-asa Cay 2 or Sandy Cay in the Kalayaan Island Group.

ASEAN and China began negotiating the Code of Conduct in 2018 but have faced repeated setbacks. The Philippines remains optimistic that a framework will be finalized by 2026.