ASEAN urged to act

A Philippine Daily Mirror commentary published April 18 urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to press for a binding South China Sea code, using the Strait of Hormuz crisis as its warning. (philippinedailymirror.com) The article argued that chokepoint shocks in Hormuz show how quickly maritime tension can hit trade, fuel flows and insurance costs across Asia. It said Southeast Asia should not wait for a similar disruption in the South China Sea before acting. (philippinedailymirror.com) ASEAN and China are already in formal negotiations. Senior officials from both sides met in Cebu on January 30, 2026, for the 25th meeting on implementing the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties and discussed ways to conclude a Code of Conduct. (asean.org) Philippine officials have been pushing a deadline. Manila said in January that ASEAN foreign ministers were working toward concluding the long-delayed code within 2026, with monthly meetings planned to move talks forward. (newswatchplus.ph) The push comes after years of slow progress. ASEAN and China adopted the nonbinding declaration in 2002, but officials were still discussing an “early conclusion” of the code at meetings in August 2025 and January 2026. (asean.org, asean.org) A Code of Conduct is meant to set rules for behavior at sea: how ships and coast guards operate, how incidents are handled, and what states should avoid doing in disputed waters. Supporters say a binding version would lower the risk of collisions, blockades and armed escalation. (eastasiaforum.org, philippinedailymirror.com) The waterway at issue carries enormous commercial traffic. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said $3.4 trillion in trade moved through the South China Sea in 2016, the latest year in that dataset, and 10 billion barrels of petroleum and petroleum products transited the sea in 2023. (eia.gov) Legal disputes remain unresolved beneath the diplomacy. The Permanent Court of Arbitration’s July 12, 2016 award in the Philippines-China case examined maritime entitlements and the legality of actions under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, while Beijing has continued to reject the ruling. (pca-cpa.org, reuters.com) Recent incidents have kept the pressure on. Reuters reported on April 13 that Philippine officials said they had found cyanide on bottles seized from Chinese boats near Second Thomas Shoal, one of several flashpoints in the disputed sea. (reuters.com) The Hormuz comparison landed as shipping companies were still testing whether that passage was safe after new April disruptions. The commentary’s argument was simple: ASEAN has a negotiating track, a 2026 target and another reminder of what a maritime crisis can cost. (reuters.com, philippinedailymirror.com)