MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines, along with other claimant countries of the South China Sea, should sign the Code of Conduct framework first and pressure China later on, a foreign policy analyst said. De La Salle University professor Richard Heydarian said that Association of Southeast Nation (ASEAN) countries need a constrainment strategy in resolving the maritime dispute. "We cannot contain China, they are too powerful... At least what we can do is like-minded countries in the ASEAN can coordinate approach," Heydarian said in a South China Sea forum hosted by Stratbase ADR Institute on Tuesday. The analyst added that Brunei is interested in joining discussions with Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam regarding the contested waters. There is the other school of thought that portrays him as a strategic genius whose understanding in the South China Sea is so sophisticated that even us experts will never understand," Heydarian said.

Source: Philippine Star April 26, 2017 03:45 UTC