Amid China's continued ''coercive and illegal'' actions in the region, "the Philippines is working earnestly for a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea that is consistent with international law," Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said in a conference in Japan on Friday.

"Notwithstanding illegal and coercive actions by China that challenge our legitimate rights and activities within our maritime zones, the Philippines perseveres in addressing these disputes through diplomacy and dialogue, in accordance with UNCLOS and the Arbitral Award of 2016," he said in his keynote speech at 30th Nikkei Future of Asia Conference in Tokyo.

"Formal negotiations on a Code are now entering their sixth year. The urgency for ASEAN and China to deliver a Code anchored on international law cannot be over-emphasized," he added.

Manalo stressed that "the Philippines does not accept, and indeed rejects, narratives that depict the South China Sea merely as a theater for major power rivalry."

"Such narratives disregard an essential truth: that all states in this region possess the inherent right and agency to determine their own destinies and secure their own futures, free from coercion or external imposition," the Philippine top diplomat noted.

"It is not just the great powers that will shape the future; all nations co-create it. This is the spirit of the UN Charter. The future of the Asia-Pacific or IndoPacific is being shaped not by one or two powers alone, but by the collective will and actions of all nations within it," he added.

Manalo also assures that "the Philippines, under the leadership of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is deeply committed to work with other nations in securing a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Asia and Indo-Pacific".

"This commitment is rooted in our identity as Asia's first Republic, as a founding member of the UN and ASEAN, and our independent foreign policy. This is a commitment that has persevered in good faith in the face of obstacles in past decades," he said.

"Amidst the currents of uncertainty and competition in the region and beyond, Japan and our partners can count on this commitment to remain unflinching and clear in its hope and vision," he added. Robina Asido/DMS