Philippines says Beijing main hurdle to South China Sea code of conduct

Members of Asean might have conflicting claims in the China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea but mutual trust exists in the bloc, Philippine defence chief Gilberto Teodoro Jnr said on Sunday, singling out Beijing as the biggest obstacle to a code of conduct in the disputed waterway.Teodoro delivered strong words for China in the final panel of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, taking aim at Manila’s long-time maritime rival for disregarding an international arbitral tribunal which ruled in favour of the Philippines in 2016.The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China have been negotiating the code since 2002 to reduce tensions in the contested waterway by setting rules for maritime behaviour and crisis management.