Political analysts at the weekend backed a senator’s proposal to limit talks on a proposed code of conduct in the South China Sea to claimant countries. “A South China Sea claimants-only venue is a good platform to manage or address the intractable dispute since they have the biggest stakes in the hotspot,” Lucio Blanco Pitlo III, a research fellow at the Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, said in a Viber message. “But given the strategic and commercial importance of this waterway, third states may express concerns about the impact of any South China Sea littoral states’ agreement on their interests,” he added.

Tan, A. N. O. (2022, September 12). Experts want code of conduct among sea claimants. BusinessWorld, p. S1/10.