Undersecretary Manalo Underscores Milestone in Code of Conduct in the West PH Sea
Undersecretary Enrique Manalo (centre) gives his lecture at the Duke of Wellington room, RUSI. Also in photo are Ambassador Antonio Lagdameo (left) and Professor Mike Clarke (right), chair of the discussion.
12 December 2017 LONDON – Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Enrique A. Manalo spoke before members of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) on the finalization of the framework on the Code of Conduct (COC) between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China during the Philippine chairmanship of the regional grouping this year.
RUSI is an independent think tank engaged in cutting edge defence and security research. It was founded in 1831 by the Duke of Wellington.
“Owing in part to the improved political atmosphere between ASEAN and China, a framework of the Code of Conduct was adopted and endorsed by the Leaders of ASEAN and China,” Undersecretary Manalo shared, stressing that the framework “is in addition to other confidence-building measures agreed earlier by ASEAN and China such as the MFA-to-MFA hotline and efforts to apply the Code of Unplanned Encounters at Sea on maritime law enforcement agencies.”
Undersecretary Manalo disclosed that commencement of the negotiations on the COC in early 2018.
“During the negotiations, the framework for the COC shall serve as a basis for the discussions. The framework will basically be an outline of the COC,” he said.
The Foreign Affairs Undersecretary said the COC should be considered as a set of agreed rules developed to address regulatory concerns which will first, manage incidents and prevent disputes from escalating into armed confrontation; and second, provide confidence building measures and cooperative activities.
“This, in turn, could establish a political atmosphere conducive to addressing the underlying disputes at some stage in the future,” he said. END
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