President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attends the 4th ASEAN-Australia Summit in Vientiane, Lao PDR, Oct. 11, 2024. Presidential Communications Office 

VIENTIANE, Lao PDR — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday told world leaders that China’s behavior in the South China Sea “cannot be ignored” as the “risks of miscalculation and escalation of tension continue to increase.”

In his intervention during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - East Asia Summit (EAS), Marcos Jr. gave a detailed rundown of how China’s ships “illegally blasted horns, used water cannons, and rammed Philippine vessels,” within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

“These kinds of behavior cannot be ignored, and demand of us concerted and serious efforts to truly manage our disputes in the South China Sea,” Marcos said.

“Though positive developments have occurred recently in my country, it is regrettable that it has not changed the overall situation in the South China Sea, tensions remain,” the Filipino leader said, noting that one incident occurred “17 nautical miles away from the nearest coastline of the Philippines… and 600 nautical miles away from the Mainland [China].”

Blinken at ASEAN meet condemns China's 'increasingly dangerous' sea moves

Marcos Jr. also called out ASEAN and China for the “slow pace” of negotiations for the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, an agreement which is expected to outline how countries around the strategic waterway should peacefully settle sea disputes.

In the 90s, ASEAN and China began discussions on the COC, and in 2002 signed a Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. However, there is still no concrete deal to settle sea disputes in the region.

ASEAN earlier said that it aimed to finalize a code of conduct in the South China Sea by 2026, a document which would determine how claimant countries can peacefully resolve disputes in the strategic waterway.

But arguments on whether the COC should be legally binding or not and if non-claimant countries would need to seek permission before conducting activities in the South China Sea have dragged the finalization of the document for decades.

While parties have been discussing the details of the document, China has reclaimed land and militarized parts of the South China Sea, despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s sweeping claims in the waters where trillions-worth of seaborne goods pass through annually.

“The slow pace of the negotiations of the ASEAN-China Code of Conduct (COC) has deterred us from discussing core elements of the COC,” Marcos said.

“For example, even language for a concept as basic as ‘self-restraint’ remains pending,” he added.

Philippines challenges China over South China Sea at ASEAN meet

While the Filipino leader admitted that the South China Sea issue was “a strategic challenge that cannot be readily solved,” he said “parties have to be conscientious and earnest concerning this most consequential issue.”

“We must all remain open so as to seriously manage differences and reduce tensions,” he said.

“As we confront an uncertain future, our individual survival and future prosperity rests on multilateralism and collective action,” he said.

“Only the preservation of this order, where the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of all states, and the peaceful settlement of disputes are upheld, provides the greatest assurance of peace for this and future generations.”

CHINA CLAIMS SOUTH CHINA SEA ‘IS GENERALLY STABLE’

China earlier claimed that the situation in the South China Sea was “generally stable.”

“China remains committed to settling maritime differences with countries concerned through dialogue and consultation on the basis of respecting historical facts and international law,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said in a press conference on October 10.

China will continue to work with ASEAN to “actively advance the consultations of the code of conduct in the South China Sea, and jointly make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation,” the official said. 

China fires water cannon at Philippine vessel