By Cheng Chung-lan and AFP | 2025-11-03

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has warned that "dangerous maneuvers and coercive use of tools" in the South China Sea threaten regional peace and stability, as he renewed calls for an effective and substantive code of conduct in the disputed waters.

Marcos gave several addresses at the October 26–28 ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur. The conference included several related summits with dialogue partners.

During his speech at the ASEAN-US summit on October 26, Marcos voiced deep concern over actions that endanger Philippine personnel and obstruct legitimate operations in the West Philippine Sea, local media reported. The area forms part of the South China Sea within the country's Exclusive Economic Zone.

"On the South China Sea, it is regrettable that incidents continue to occur in the West Philippine Sea which endanger the lives of Philippine personnel and compromise the safety of our vessels and aircraft," Marcos said. "These include dangerous maneuvers and the coercive use of tools and equipment to interfere with or obstruct legitimate and routine Philippine activities in our own maritime zones and airspace, as guaranteed under international law, particularly UNCLOS [the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]."

Using the summit as a platform, Marcos raised before other countries, notably the United States, the harassment faced by Filipinos in the region. Although Marcos did not name a specific country throughout the entire speech, a source cited by the Inquirer confirmed he was referring to China.

Marcos denounced China's declaration of a "nature reserve" over Scarborough Shoal, known in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc. He called the move a violation of Philippine sovereignty and the rights of local fishermen.

"Actions like these cannot hide under the veneer of marine environmental protection because it has no legal basis or effect [and] blatantly disregards international law," he said.

A call for restraint

Marcos urged all parties to exercise self-restraint to keep the South China Sea a "sea of peace, stability and prosperity." He added that "failure to restrain provocative and dangerous actions further threatens the peace and stability that we have collectively built ... over the years."

Marcos underscored the importance of cooperation that "cannot exist alongside coercion," such as mechanisms allowing fishermen access to traditional grounds without interference.

Marcos raised the same points during the China-ASEAN Summit on October 28, which Chinese Premier Li Qiang attended.

In his remarks, Li urged ASEAN to maintain "unity and self-reliance" amid what he described as growing external interference in the region.

Manila has accused China of using water cannons, ramming vessels and deploying maritime militia around features occupied by the Philippines in the disputed sea.

Becoming ASEAN chair

Malaysia on October 28 handed over the ASEAN chairmanship to the Philippines. It will fully assume the one-year role in 2026 with the South China Sea expected to top its agenda.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim symbolically passed the gavel to Marcos at the close of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur. "On the first day of 2026, ASEAN will begin a new chapter," Anwar said.

The Philippines is one of four ASEAN members, along with Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam, whose claims overlap China's in the South China Sea.

An international court in 2016 rejected China's assertion of sovereignty over more than 80% of that sea.

Code of conduct and Burmese crisis

Marcos said Manila would remain "firm, calm and resolute" in upholding the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and in pursuing a code of conduct "that can effectively govern the behavior of parties at sea."

ASEAN and China have been negotiating a code of conduct to regulate behavior in the contested maritime area, aiming to secure an agreement by next year -- more than two decades since the idea was first proposed.

"There are positive outcomes to be gained if we commit to cooperation and meaningful engagement, especially in the South China Sea," Marcos said in Kuala Lumpur.

Diplomats said Manila is likely to stress maritime security, while seeking ways to prevent further escalation and promote cooperation in ocean safety and fishing access. As chair, the Philippines will lead discussions on the bloc's response to Burma's political crisis and efforts to appoint a permanent envoy to Burma.

"It is important for the Philippine government not to let the South China Sea issue eclipse the other priorities of ASEAN," Mustafa Izzuddin, an international analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore, told AFP.