(Eagle News) — The Philippines is negotiating another Code of Conduct with other Southeast Asian countries it has a territorial dispute with over the West Philippine Sea, President Bongbong Marcos said.
According to the President, this was because “we are still waiting for the code of conduct between China and ASEAN and the progress has been rather slow unfortunately..” and the primordial concern was to maintain peace in the region.
He said among these Southeast Asian countries are Vietnam and Malaysia.
He said that the Philippines will also further its relationship with other countries, including the United States.
“But starting with that, we also feel that, the way forward is to strengthen our partnerships with all our neighbors and with all friendly nations who share our ideals, who share our aspirations, who share our values and the respect for the rule of international law,” the President said.
The Philippines also receives similar backing from Australia, South Korea, and Japan, he noted.
According to the Presidential Communications Office, apart from these, the Philippines continues to increase its capabilities to be able to answer the challenges that it is facing, noting China’s island-building efforts edging closer to Philippine shores and what it says is China’s more confrontational stance.
“Now it’s becoming more and more often. Every so often, there is a confrontation between outside forces and Philippine forces,” the President said.
