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ASEAN speeds up South China Sea Code talks

Philippine News Agency

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
July 14, 2025, 5:19 pm

MANILA -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is fast-tracking discussions to conclude the highly anticipated Code of Conduct in the South China Sea by 2026, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said on Monday.

The COC, which had been under works for years, is set to provide a set of rules to manage tension in the disputed South China Sea.

Lazaro disclosed that separate rounds of negotiations are set to take place in the coming months to build on the progress reached in the talks held in Manila last April.

"Concerning the COC, it is our view and we are all working together to have the ASEAN-China Code of Conduct to be out by next year as mandated by the foreign ministers in 2023," she said in a media briefing in Pasay City.

Malaysia, she said, is expected to host the next technical working group meeting in August, to be followed by another round in Singapore in September, with the last meeting set in China.

"All of these are fast-tracking, but of course, in its own time frame and the discussions are being really intensely discussed," she added.

At present, Beijing and the regional bloc are tackling the four so-called "milestone issues" or the most contentious subjects related to the document.

These include the connection between the COC and the non-binding Declaration of Conduct (DOC) on the South China Sea; whether the final document is legally binding or not; the COC's geographical scope; and the definition of terms, such as self-restraint, among others.

"These are the four milestone issues because these are the outstanding ones. (Related to) the venue and information I have given, these will be discussed— So, it's progressing," Lazaro said.

In 2026, the Filipino top diplomat said the Philippines' ASEAN chairmanship would focus on three "cross-cutting" issues, namely peace and security, maritime cooperation, and climate change. (PNA)