In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Philippines is somewhat an outlier. At best, it receives only meager support from most of the other nine members of the regional bloc in its crusade to get China to abide by international law in the West Philippine Sea.
Only Vietnam, which has a similar territorial dispute with China, can be counted upon to strongly echo the Philippines’ calls for swifter conclusion and passage of the long-awaited Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, which includes the West Philippine Sea.
The agreement, expected to govern maritime encounters among vessels from claimant states in the ASEAN and China, has been on the drawing board for two decades. In the latest ASEAN Summit in Laos, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. emphasized the urgency of finishing and activating the COC.
In this episode, Rappler editor-at-large Marites Vitug explains why the ASEAN could hardly be expected to put pressure on China, which now virtually occupies much of the contested sea, to agree to this COC. – Rappler.com
Presenter, writer: Marites Vitug
Producer: JC Gotinga
Videographer: Errol Almario
Video editor: Em Hidalgo
Graphic artists: Raffy de Guzman, Andoy Edoria, Nico Villarete
Supervising producer: Beth Frondoso