For years an elusive target for nations with conflicting claims in the South China Sea, a code of conduct for managing the dispute is expected to be ready on May 19 when the China-led Bilateral Consultation Mechanism convenes for the first time, President Duterte said yesterday. The President stressed that both China and the Philippines are looking forward to a bilateral mechanism for settling the dispute over areas in the South China Sea. The Philippines refers to the side of the disputed waters within its exclusive economic zone as West Philippine Sea. Other claimants in the South China Sea aside from the Philippines and China are Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan.

Regalado, E., & Romero, A. (2017, May 17). Rody expects China nod for sea code of conduct. The Philippine Star, pp. 1, 7.