Asean to step up push for South China Sea code, energy security

Deeper economic cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will hinge on whether a code can be laid down to govern maritime territory and activity in the China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea, Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has said.“We cannot institutionalise any of those things until the code of conduct is finalised,” he told a press conference on Friday at the close of the 48th Asean summit in Cebu, when asked about aspects that held the most potential in relations between the bloc and Beijing.The code – under negotiation since 2002 between Asean and China – aims to reduce tensions in the disputed waterway by setting rules for maritime behaviour and crisis management. Talks have repeatedly stalled over the years amid tensions over territorial claims and competing national interests between Beijing and some Asean states, most notably the Philippines.