Big If True: Tulfo Says China's Ambassador Told Him Beijing Will Sign the South China Sea Code of Conduct This Year
Senator Erwin Tulfo emerged from his meeting with Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan on Monday with a potentially game-changing claim: China is willing to sign the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and the Philippines — as this year's ASEAN chair — could have the framework finalized by December 2026.
Tulfo said the ambassador was "very excited" about the prospect, noting that the COC is being negotiated between China and ASEAN claimant states including Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei. "They are open to sign it and it looks like they are interested because they are included in the meetings for the creation of the Code of Conduct," Tulfo told reporters after the meeting at a Manila hotel.
The meeting, which also included Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro, was described as "productive." Notably, the two sides didn't even discuss the recent "word war" between senators Risa Hontiveros and Francis Pangilinan and Chinese embassy spokesmen Ji Lingpeng and Guo Wei — both of whom were conspicuously absent from the meeting. Tulfo and Jing agreed to stick to "continuous diplomatic meetings" rather than fighting through social media.
According to Tulfo, Lazaro confirmed that formal dialogues among SCS claimant countries will begin in March — a promising timeline if both sides are genuinely committed. The Code of Conduct has been in negotiation since the early 2000s, with Beijing accused by critics of deliberately dragging out talks while consolidating its territorial claims through island-building and military expansion.
If China does sign a binding COC by year's end, it would be the biggest diplomatic breakthrough in the South China Sea in decades. But many analysts remain skeptical — Beijing has agreed to "frameworks" before without following through. As they say sa diplomasya: it ain't over till it's signed, sealed, and ratified. For now, though, Tulfo's claim gives Manila something it hasn't had in a while — a reason for cautious optimism.
Source: The Manila Times
