VIENTIANE--Frustrated over the slow pace in the negotiations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-China Code of Conduct (COC), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he is using every international forum to raise awareness on the issue for China to conclude the document.

In an interview with reporters at the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Laos, Marcos explained the COC is still pending after around 20 years.

"I think the onus is now on China to accelerate those talks. ASEAN has been waiting for a long time," Marcos said.

He said the Philippines formed a team of negotiators to find out how to convince China to finalize the document.

Marcos said in his intervention at the 19th East Asia Summit in Laos on Friday that the risk of a flash point erupting in the South China Sea remains high due to the "slow pace" in negotiations of the code of conduct.

"Well, we take every opportunity that we can, again, to make the Philippine position clear," Marcos said.

The COC provides the guidelines to prevent disputes in the South China Sea and promote maritime cooperation. DMS