The Philippines is seeking the early conclusion of an effective Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea that would be inclusive and not put any nation at a disadvantage, Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. said. “We want an early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea that excludes no country or power in the rest of the world,” he said. “The COC will not nor can it claim for itself the sea after which it is named,” he also said. “That would curtail the immemorial freedom of the seas and international law,” he added.

Geducos, A. C. B. (2022, February 20). PH seeks effective South China Sea code. Manila Bulletin, pp. 1, 6.