Marcos says Taiwan issue, maritime code to factor in ASEAN discussions. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the risk of Taiwan tensions growing was a “grave concern” to Southeast Asian nations and would be discussed at this week’s conference in Indonesia.
“Considering that we agree on the concept of ASEAN centrality when it comes to regional concerns, that will be one of the most important subjects that we will bring up,” Marcos told reporters late Tuesday.
Marcos sought a South China Sea code of conduct at the ASEAN conference in Indonesia.
Marcos promised to raise it again. “The issues…they will not calm down until we have a code of conduct.”
The Philippines, which won an arbitration decision in 2016 that established its sovereign rights and rejected China’s claim of historic jurisdiction over the South China Sea, has protested about Beijing’s “dangerous manoeuvres” and “aggressive tactics.”
China claims legality in its area.
Last week, Marcos visited with Joe Biden in the US and won a deal from Washington to protect the Philippines if attacked in the South China Sea.
Following a 2001 pledge, ASEAN and China have been working on a marine code of conduct, which experts predict to be non-binding and without enforcement.
China’s claims extend more than 1,500 km (932 miles) off its coast and into the exclusive economic zones of five ASEAN countries: Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Beijing’s coast guard and fishing fleet have been accused of intimidation.
Marcos wanted the code of conduct “sooner rather than later because the tensions are increasing.”
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