Phl-China BCM, China-Asean COC and a vision of perpetual peace

It is well established that the South China Sea is not merely a geographic space. It is a strategic theater where law, power and cooperation inevitably intersect.

This piece focuses on two institutional innovations: the Philippines-China Bilateral Consultative Mechanism (BCM) and the anticipated conclusion of the Code of Conduct (COC) between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Together, they represent complementary pathways toward what Immanuel Kant once envisioned as a perpetual peace.

The South China Sea is a lifeline of global commerce, carrying one?third of the world’s shipping. It sustains millions of livelihoods and harbors biodiversity of planetary significance.

Yet it is also a contested space, marked by overlapping claims, fragile trust and great power rivalry.

For the Philippines, safeguarding sovereign rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is a constitutional duty. For China, asserting maritime claims rooted in historic rights is a strategic imperative. These realities make dialogue not optional, but indispensable.

Since its establishment in 2017, the BCM has functioned as a confidence?building measure and a form of preventive diplomacy. It does not erase disputes, but it prevents escalation.

The Bilateral Consultative Mechanism

Through the BCM, working groups were created to address fisheries management, search and rescue, energy cooperation and political?security coordination. Current negotiations on Coast Guard cooperation promise to enhance maritime safety and reduce risks of miscalculation. Discussions on joint resource development and environmental protection reflect functionalist approaches to cooperation – small steps that build trust through practical outcomes.

From a theoretical perspective, the BCM embodies liberal institutionalism: institutions reduce uncertainty and foster cooperation even amid asymmetry. Yet realism reminds us that power differentials condition its effectiveness.

Thus, the BCM must be continually nurtured by China and the Philippines to remain credible and reliable.

Toward a Code of Conduct

At the regional level, ASEAN and China are close to finalizing the long?awaited COC. Anchored on the UN Charter, UNCLOS and the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, the COC seeks to institutionalize norms of restraint and peaceful dispute resolution. As ASEAN chair, the Philippines bears dual responsibility: to protect national sovereignty and to advance collective regional peace. The theme, “Navigating Our Future, Together,” is not a slogan but a normative commitment to multilateralism and collective action.

The COC complements the BCM. If the BCM is the bilateral compass, the COC is the regional roadmap. Together, they form part of a layered security architecture that embeds dialogue within both bilateral and multilateral frameworks. 

Challenges and opportunities

 Challenges remain, however. Filipino fishermen continue to face hardships. Philippine patrols encounter obstacles. Trust between claimant states is still fragile. Yet opportunities are equally present. The BCM ensures disputes do not spiral into confrontation. The COC promises to consolidate norms of cooperative security.

Both mechanisms, the BCM and COC, though imperfect, are instruments of regional stability.

Vision for perpetual peace

Let us envision a South China Sea where fishermen sail free from fear, where Coast Guards coordinate rather than collide, where oil and gas fuel prosperity rather than discord and where coral reefs flourish for generations to come. This vision resonates with Kant’s notion of perpetual peace – achieved not through sudden resolution, but through institutions, norms and cooperative practices.

The BCM is our vessel. The COC is our roadmap. The ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership is our crew. Dialogue is our sail. Friendship is our destination. Together, we can navigate the path toward perpetual peace in the South China Sea.

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Dr. Rommel C. Banlaoi is the director of Philippines-China Studies Center and president of the Philippine Society for International Security Studies.