Philippines President expresses deep concerns on escalating US-China trade war

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte urged progress on a code of conduct for the contested South China Sea. He also expressed deep concerns about the escalating US-China trade war and its impact on the global economy, including that of his country.

At an economic forum in Tokyo, he warned that the South China Sea issue was becoming a "flashpoint" with China.  China claims sovereignty over most of the resource-rich sea. These claims are disputed by the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and



Vietnam.

Beijing and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have tried to create a code of conduct to govern the disputed waters for years, but the process has been slow.

Duterte is visiting Japan for talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He said a protracted dispute would shrink world trade and investment.

Duterte and Abe met today and discussed trade, investment and growing Chinese activity in disputed regional seas.