China urges ASEAN to ‘resist disruptions’ over code of conduct for S.China Sea

China on Monday called on the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to “resist disruptions” toward a code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea.

“Formulating a code of conduct in the South China Sea is an important measure of implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DoC), and also an important agreement between China and ASEAN countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing.

Guo said the document will help parties -- China and ASEAN which have been discussing the declaration since 2002 -- to “better manage differences, advance cooperation, and keep the South China Sea peaceful and stable.”

China is having close consultation with ASEAN countries on the text of the document, he said.

Beijing’s statement came after ASEAN, at a meeting of its leaders in the Philippines last week, called the need for a legally binding code of conduct in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The Philippines, which has seen persistent tensions with China in the disputed waters over competing maritime claims, is the incumbent chair of the Southeast Asian bloc.

At their summit in Philippines’ Cebu province on Friday, the bloc also agreed to establish ASEAN Maritime Center in the Philippines to “support ASEAN-led mechanisms on maritime-related issues.”

Situation in South China Sea ‘unreadable’

Addressing reporters after hosting the summit, the Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the situation in the South China Sea “becomes more, shall we say, unreadable.”

“This becomes more important that there will be a central repository for maritime issues and maritime policy that will apply to ASEAN members,” he said.

“(…) the ultimate reason for having this Maritime Center is not to confront or not to somehow push back on any single force or any single country,” said Marcos.

He added: “What we are working for is the continued freedom of navigation and the peaceful navigation in South China Sea.”

Referring to blockaded Strait of Hormuz, Marcos said a large percentage of world trade goes through the South China Sea.

“And as has been demonstrated by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz – the Strait of Hormuz is 20% of the entire oil supply of the world. And we are all very aware of the effects of that.

“But if such a thing would happen in the South China Sea, the inevitable consequences would be alarming, just to even think about,” he warned.

The Strait of Hormuz remains blocked since the US and Israel initiated Iran war on Feb. 28, affecting global energy supplies, particularly hitting oil flow to Asian nations which largely depend on supplies from the Middle East.