November 16, 2017

China has promised the Philippines that it would fast-track the negotiations for the proposed code of conduct for claimants in the South China Sea, according to President Duterte.

Mr. Duterte said he pressed Chinese officials to provide a date for the approval of the code of conduct and he was told that the Chinese side would “really fast-track” it.

“I said … ‘We’ll just observe certain norms of conduct and we were pressing China to set a date,’” Mr. Duterte said at a news conference after the close of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit.

Read more: