CHINA: SOUTH CHINA SEA
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Albert Del Rosario, Secretary of the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) visited Jakarta on July 15 and met Indonesian Foreign Minister Dr. R.M. Marty Natalegawa where the two discussed China’s aggressive territorial claims in the South China Sea. A statement issued by the DFA on July 17 said “The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues, including the current situation in the South China Sea”. It added that “Both ministers reaffirmed their commitment to work towards the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, the early conclusion of a regional Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and the de-escalation of rising tensions in the South China Sea.”. Del Rosario updated his Indonesian counterpart on the progress of the Philippine’s arbitration case against China before the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
A separate report suggests that the Philippines is trying to arrange a meeting of the 4 Foreign Ministers of the three other claimant states in the South China Sea viz. Vietnam, Brunei, and Indonesia prior to the ASEAN summit.
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