MALACANANG welcomed China’s recent position supporting the creation of a legally binding guideline that sets the conduct of all the claimant countries in the disputed West Philippine Sea. “We welcome the development. That’s a step forward. As we always say, we need a rules-based
regime in governing our relations there in those disputed areas. So certainly it’s a welcome development for us,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Thursday.
It was reported that a senior Chinese diplomat said his country had agreed to draft guidelines for behavior in the disputed region with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) after a meeting of the Asian security officials in Bali, Indonesia.
China has long resisted previous calls for a legally binding code of conduct that would settle disputes in the West Philippine Sea and solving the problems through peaceful means.
What is currently in place is the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea but the declaration is not a legally binding one. It was signed on November 4, 2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia by the member states of ASEAN and China and was aimed at promoting peaceful, friendly and harmonious environment in the West Philippine Sea.
It also aims to ensure peace, stability, economic growth and prosperity in the region. (PCOO)
