Philippines Urges Law-Based South China Sea Code of Conduct at ASEAN Working Group

The Philippines, as 2026 ASEAN Chair, formally urged fellow member states and China at an ASEAN-China working group session to negotiate a South China Sea Code of Conduct that is legally binding and fully consistent with UNCLOS. Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro announced that ASEAN-China COC working group meetings would shift from quarterly to monthly sessions to accelerate negotiations toward a four-milestone framework. Key unresolved issues include whether the COC will be legally binding, its geographical scope, its relationship to the 2002 Declaration of Conduct, and definitions of 'self-restraint.' Chinese experts publicly stated a COC was '100 per cent not achievable' under the Philippines' chairmanship, citing Manila's insistence on referencing the 2016 arbitration ruling.