At the ASEAN summit on Thursday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directly challenged Chinese Premier Li Qiang over recent maritime clashes between their nations in the South China Sea.
This exchange comes amid growing fears that tensions in the contested waters could escalate into conflict.
During a session focused primarily on economic matters, Marcos stressed the inseparability of economic cooperation and political security, according to a Southeast Asian diplomat who was present.
He urged both ASEAN and China to accelerate discussions on a code of conduct (COC) for the South China Sea to mitigate rising tensions.
“There should be more urgency in the pace of the negotiations of the ASEAN-China Code of Conduct,” Marcos emphasized, adding that even basic concepts like “self-restraint” are still unresolved.
ASEAN aims to finalize the COC by 2026, which would provide guidelines for peacefully resolving disputes in the strategic waterway.
However, long-standing disagreements, such as whether the COC should be legally binding, have delayed its completion for decades.
Recent months have seen an uptick in confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels, particularly near the Spratly Islands.
These incidents include ramming and water cannon attacks by Chinese ships.
Vietnam also recently condemned Chinese forces for attacking its fishermen near the Paracel Islands, further heightening regional tensions.
ASEAN leaders, including Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, expressed concerns that the situation in the South China Sea poses real risks of accidental conflict.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to address these issues in upcoming discussions with ASEAN leaders.
Beijing, which claims nearly the entire South China Sea, continues to assert its dominance, despite an international ruling declaring its expansive claim illegal.
Meanwhile, ASEAN member states, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei, hold competing claims over parts of the sea.