South China Sea: Philippines committed to code of conduct, says tensions not about US-China rivalry

Such view will “not help in an honest understanding of the situation,” he told reporters.

The idea of a code of conduct was hatched more than two decades ago, but parties only committed to begin the process in 2017. Little progress has been made, however, with negotiations on the contents of the code yet to move forward.

The issue is highly sensitive, with China’s neighbours keen to base the code on international law, which Beijing has repeatedly been accused of disregarding in asserting its claim to sovereignty over 90 per cent of the South China Sea, despite that being dismissed by an international arbitration court.

“We are concerned about developments in our exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” Manalo said.

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Why the South China Sea dispute remains one of the region’s most pressing issues

Manalo said a high-level “2+2” meeting of the defence and foreign ministers of the Philippines and United States was planned and dates not yet been finalised.