Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 9) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not impose a deadline on discussions with China about Filipinos’ fishing rights in the West Philippine Sea.
The deadline is only when it’s done because if you set a deadline and it’s not done, what then? It doesn’t help anything. So you just keep going, keep going keep going, as hard as you can, as much as you can until you get an agreement on the fishing grounds,” Marcos told reporters in Indonesia on Tuesday ahead of the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.Marcos earlier said Manila is putting together a map of fishing grounds in the West Philippine Sea that it would propose to Beijing. He added that China has agreed to sit down and discuss the matter.https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2023/5/1/marcos-fishing-grounds-wps.htmlDuring the ASEAN summit, the president said he will also reiterate his push for the conclusion of a code of conduct in the South China Sea.Paulit ulit ko sinasabi, in every forum I can find, sinasabi ko na ang Code of Conduct kailangan natin tapusin,” Marcos stressed.[Translation: I say again and again, in every forum I can find, that the Code of Conduct needs to be finished.]He said maritime tensions will not ease until a code of conduct is completed, which will determine the only allowable actions countries can take in the disputed waters.
