The Philippines raised concerns over the recent incidents in the South China Sea during the 40th meeting of the Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (JWG-DOC) in Manila.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Teresita Daza said the Philippines hosted the meeting from August 22 to 24.

"The Philippines said it remains committed to the early conclusion of an effective and substantive COC. We stressed the need to have a conducive environment for the talks to progress," she said.

"In this regard, the Philippines raised concerns over recent incidents and challenges in the South China Sea that undermines trust, escalates tensions, and threatens peace, stability and security in the region," she added.

Daza said "this was the third round of the COC negotiations this year. The first two were held in Jakarta, in March and in Vietnam in May." Robina Asido/DMS