Given China’s increased activities in the South China Sea, the Philippines and Vietnam are calling for the immediate crafting and implementation of a Code of Conduct (COC) in the disputed region. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana was in Vietnam Monday for a bilateral meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart, Minister of National Defense Ngyo Xuan Lich. “We discussed how to navigate the issue in the face of the Chinese’s increased activities. We both agreed that the COC should be pursued and concluded in the fastest time possible,” Lorenzana said.

Laude, J. (2019, March 16). Phl, Vietnam push sea code. The Philippine Star, p. 3.