Bitter disputes over competing claims in the South China Sea are likely to surface at the two-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting starting Saturday in this Thai capital after the sinking of a Filipino fishing boat in the resource-rich waterway.

When Duterte made his first public comments about the June 9 incident, the usually outspoken leader downplayed the sinking and reiterated that his country was not ready to go to war against China.

President Duterte might raise the Recto Bank issue at the coming summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Thailand as part of talks on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, a ranking foreign affairs official said yesterday.

Contrary to the previous remarks of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Malacañang said Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua will not be summoned over the incident in Recto Bank.

Following the sinking of a Filipino boat by a Chinese vessel, the Philippines' top diplomat called on the international community to render assistance to persons in distress at sea.