The Philippine government is still pursuing the early completion of the code of conduct in the South China Sea despite delays in negotiations due to the coronavirus pandemic. “We are likewise pursuing the early conclusion of an effective and substantive code of conduct in the South China Sea by all the claimant states,” Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana said at an online briefing on Wednesday. Before the global health crisis, China and southeast Asian nations were targeting to complete the sea code meant to ease tensions in maritime disputes by 2021.

Tadalan, C. A. (2020, July 23). PHL still pursuing code of conduct in South China Sea. BusinessWorld, p. S1/10.