President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reaffirms the Philippines "commitment to the rule of law and peaceful settlement of disputes" in the South China Sea in his intervention in the 26th ASEAN-China summit in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"We must emphasize that practical cooperation in the maritime domain can only flourish with an enabling environment of regional peace, security, and stability, anchored in international law," said Marcos.

"The Philippines therefore continues to uphold the primacy of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as the framework within which all activities in the seas and oceans are conducted. We once again reaffirm our commitment to the rule of law and peaceful settlement of disputes," he added.

Marcos also mentioned that during "the last negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) held in Manila a few weeks ago, some progress was made in discussing the milestone issues and a preliminary review of the Single Draft Negotiating Text (SDNT)."

"The early conclusion of an effective and substantive COC that is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, remains the goal for ASEAN and for China," he said.

China Premier Li Qiang told the ASEAN-China Summit his country has " preserved peace and tranquility" in the region.

"We have been committed to mutual assistance and our good neighborly friendship has become stronger, China and ASEAN countries enjoy geographical proximity and close affinity. We adhere to the five principles of peaceful coexistence and the purpose of the TAC," the said.

"We seek common ground setting aside differences of properly handled disagreement during dialogue consultation and consistently deepen practical cooperation in a traditional and non traditional security fields we have preserve peace and tranquility in East Asia in a world with turbulence," he added. Robina Asido/DMS