South China Sea code of conduct negotiations start next month

February 13, 2018

The Philippines and China announced on Tuesday Southeast Asian nations and Beijing will start next month negotiations for a code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea.

A one-day bilateral consultation between the two sides was held in Manila a few days after photos alleging China has nearly finished building military facilities in the disputed areas surfaced.

Both sides described the meeting as “positive, fruitful and productive.”

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Enrique Manalo headed the Philippine delegation and Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou represented China to the consultation mechanism, which they said, “would continue to contribute to the stable growth of bilateral relations.”

A  joint statement issued at the end of their meeting said Manila and Beijing are committed to “the full and effective implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in its entirety, and to begin negotiations on a Code of Conduct on the South China Sea early next month.”

“Both sides reaffirmed that contentious maritime issues are not the sum total of the Philippines-China bilateral relationship,” the statement said.

Manila and Beijing also reaffirmed the importance of “maintaining and promoting peace and stability, freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea, freedom of international commerce and other peaceful uses of the sea, addressing territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force.”

“Both sides agreed to continue discussions on confidence-building measures to increase mutual trust and confidence and to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities in the South China Sea that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability,” the statement said.

Part of these confidence-building measures, they said, is the possibility of conducting several joint initiatives in the waters, which include oil and gas cooperation and marine scientific research.

Such activities, they noted, will be conducted “without prejudice to their respective positions on sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.”

“There were intensive discussions on mutually beneficial joint initiatives and consensus on the convening of technical working groups in the areas of fisheries, oil and gas, marine scientific research and marine environmental protection, and political security, in the framework of the BCM,” the joint statement said. DMS