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Philippines Says UN Rules Sufficient, China Blocks ASEAN Code

5/31/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr said existing UN maritime norms make a new ASEAN-China South China Sea code unnecessary.
At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Teodoro called China the main obstacle to finalising the ASEAN-China code.
He noted the 2016 tribunal ruling for the Philippines, which China has ignored.
Manila, ASEAN chair, aims to finish the code by end-2026 before handing the chair to Singapore.

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Story summary

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr said existing UN maritime norms make a new ASEAN-China South China Sea code unnecessary.
At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Teodoro called China the main obstacle to finalising the ASEAN-China code.
He noted the 2016 tribunal ruling for the Philippines, which China has ignored.
Manila, ASEAN chair, aims to finish the code by end-2026 before handing the chair to Singapore.