PH airs concerns during South China Sea talks between Beijing, Asean

CHALLENGE, DEFIANCE Journalists onboard the plane of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources take photos of a Chinese helicopter that came alarmingly close in the airspace over Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea in this file photo in February 2025. —AP

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines aired its concerns in the West Philippine Sea as it hosted the latest round of negotiations to conclude an Asean-China code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea.

The meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of parties in the South China Sea, which is tasked with undertaking the COC negotiations, was held in Manila on April 9-11, 2025.

Parts of the South China Sea inside the western section of the country’s exclusive economic zone are referred to as the West Philippine Sea.

“The Philippines voiced its concerns on the situation in the West Philippine Sea, especially with regard to recent incidents that posed risk to Philippine vessels and personnel, and actions by other countries that infringed on the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction,” the DFA said in a statement.

Nevertheless, the Armed Forces of the Philippines previously noted that the latest rotation and resupply mission (Rore) on April 9, is the 7th time when the task was done without tensions.

This relatively peaceful Rore was also due to the successful Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) between Manila and Beijing about the resupply activity to the BRP Sierra Madre which became one of the flashpoints of tensions between two countries.

READ: Sailor whose thumb got cut off in Ayungin mission wants to return to duty

This BCM was made after the Rore in Ayungin last June 17, 2024, which saw the most violent incident that even caused the thumb amputation of one of the country’s naval personnel.

Beijing asserts sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, even if such a claim has been effectively invalidated by the arbitral award issued in July 2016.

This landmark ruling stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013, or a year after its tense standoff with Beijing over Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, whose lagoon the latter now has an effective control of.

DFA said the Asean-China meeting also served as an “opportunity for the Philippines to strongly call for the need to adhere to international law.”

Manila reiterated its commitment to resolve disputes peacefully and to pursue “constructive diplomatic approaches in managing differences at sea.”

The JWG-DOC is co-chaired by Malaysia and China.

In 2023, the foreign ministers of Asean and China adopted the guidelines on accelerating the early conclusion of the COC and agreed to work towards its conclusion within three years.

The next round of negotiations will be held in Malaysia later in the year.