The
Philippines is gearing up for a pivotal year as it prepares to chair ASEAN in
2025, with Manila setting its sights on completing the long-delayed Code of
Conduct (COC) for the South China Sea.
The
Philippines is gearing up for a pivotal year as it prepares to chair ASEAN in
2025, with Manila setting its sights on completing the long-delayed Code of
Conduct (COC) for the South China Sea. Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said
momentum is finally building after years of stalled talks, with “a sense among
ASEAN and China” that the agreement can be concluded. The code, first pledged
in 2002, took 15 years just to begin formal discussions, and negotiations since
then have inched forward at a slow and often politically fraught pace.
Why It Matters
A
legally binding COC could reshape one of the world’s most contested maritime
regions, where fishing rights, energy reserves, and military influence collide.
China’s expansive claims, enforced by coast guard and maritime militia vessels,
frequently clash with the exclusive economic zones of ASEAN neighbours. For the
Philippines backed more assertively by the United States in recent years
codifying rules of engagement would not only strengthen regional security but
also curb incidents that have repeatedly triggered diplomatic crises.
The
potential breakthrough comes as tensions remain high, with Washington accusing
Beijing of destabilising the region and Manila recording a surge in
confrontations near its waters.
Regional Stakes
ASEAN’s
internal dynamics also complicate the picture. While members broadly support
completing the COC, they vary in how forcefully they challenge China. Lazaro’s
simultaneous role as ASEAN’s special envoy for Myanmar adds another layer of
responsibility, as she tries to revive dialogue between warring factions in a
country where the 2021 coup plunged the nation into crisis.
Frustration
within ASEAN has grown over Myanmar’s failure to implement the bloc’s five-step
peace plan. With the junta planning elections in December dismissed by the UN
and many analysts as lacking credibility ASEAN members insist that dialogue and
de-escalation must come first.
What’s Next
The
Philippines aims to leverage its ASEAN chairmanship to push the COC across the
finish line, though the hurdles ahead remain significant. A legally binding
agreement would require China to accept limits on activities that it has long
defended as sovereign rights. Whether Beijing is willing to make such
commitments remains uncertain.
Still,
Manila believes the region’s appetite for stability and growing pressure from
repeated clashes may finally open a window. As the Philippines prepares to lead
ASEAN, the coming year could prove decisive for maritime diplomacy and for the
bloc’s unity on broader regional conflicts, including Myanmar’s unresolved
crisis.
0 coment rios: