President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, LAO PDR, October 9, 2024. Revoli S. Cortez/PPA POOL

VIENTIANE — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said that leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have begun discussing the South China Sea issue in broad strokes during the opening day of the 44th and 45th Summit here.

Before leaving for Lao PDR, Marcos Jr. said that the annual meeting of the regional bloc is “essential for the Philippines to discuss the issues confronting ASEAN countries on geopolitical matters and also on functional cooperation.”

“I didn't specify the details but that's the general principle of the adherence to the rule of law and the UNCLOS. Just as a general thing,” the Philippine leader told reporters when asked if he has already brought up China’s illegal actions during the first four sessions.

“We'll have a chance to get into more detail maybe in the next couple of days,” he said.

READ: Marcos Jr. in Lao PDR for ASEAN Summit

Since his first ASEAN participation, the President has consistently raised alarm over Beijing’s aggression in the strategic waters in the heart of Southeast Asia, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier said.

“The President will continue to defend the Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law including the 1982 UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” DFA Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu said in an earlier press conference.

ASEAN earlier said that it aims to finalize the 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, as well as issues if non-claimant countries could intervene in talks have dragged the finalization of the document for decades.

Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped this year’s ASEAN Summit and set Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang on his behalf.

So far, Marcos Jr. is not scheduled to meet Li on the sidelines of the Summit.

READ: Marcos juggles ASEAN Summit, ‘urgent call’ on Filipinos in Israel, Lebanon