MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is currently negotiating a Code of Conduct (COC) to prevent future aggressive actions from happening again, similar to what happened at the Ayungin Shoal on 5 August 2023.
In a statement released by the DFA, Spokesperson Assistant Secretary Tess Daza said this is the third round of the COC negotiations this year. The first two were held in Jakarta, Indonesia in March and in Vietnam in May.
“We are negotiating a Code of Conduct precisely because we would like to prevent incidents such as the last one at the Ayungin Shoal from happening,” Daza said in a message to the media.
The official is referring to the interrupted re-supply mission of the Philippines to troops stationed at the beached BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal on August 5. Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported aggressive actions by China Coast Guard vessels by using water canons and shadowing of such vessels, with the United States, Japan, Australia describing such moves as “dangerous actions” and a threat to regional peace and security.
Daza reiterated the DFA’s commitment to the early conclusion of an effective and substantive COC.
“We hope that all participants would come to the negotiating table in good faith and help create a conducive environment for talks,” she added.
The Philippines is hosting the 40th Meeting of the Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (JWG-DOC) on August 22-24, 2023 in Manila.
