HAINAN, China: A day after the Sub Forum on the South China Sea under the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2024, much discussion was done on "Constructing Regional Rules Order in the South Chinese Sea." Four panels were in closed-door sessions, part of a grueling day-long schedule. There were three Filipinos in two panels. I was with lawyer Lucio Pitlo on panel 2 on "Construction of the Regional Rules Order in the South China Sea" and Red Constantino in panel 3 on "Leveraging Marine Environmental Protection to Support China-Asean Cooperation in Marine Governance."
The three of us made pointed issues in our respective presentations. I stated that no Filipino would want to see the latest water cannon incident; Pitlo compared the BRP Sierra Madre and the reclamation of areas in the South China Sea (SCS) to build airstrips and naval stations. Constantino recommended creating a climate alliance in SCS as a peace project.
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