美国太平洋司令部司令帕帕罗在马来西亚地区安全会议上发出警告，指出中国等行为体的强制行动威胁到区域稳定[1]。帕帕罗表示，"美国正通过力量遏制中国，而非对抗"[1]，并强调"我们不会让任何国家主导这一地区或剥夺独立国家艰难争取的主权权利"[1]。他指出强制措施"不是法治，而是法律统治"[1]。
菲律宾国防部长吉尔伯托·特奥多罗在同一会议上表达了对中国行动的担忧，称"中国无处不在……这是令人关注的事项"[1]，并表示菲律宾将继续抵抗来自中国的威胁。东盟秘书长高金洪表示，东盟与中国关于南海行为准则的谈判已取得显著进展，有望在年内完成[1]。
The commander of the US Pacific Fleet has issued a stark warning about threats to regional stability, cautioning that coercive actions by certain actors undermine the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific. Speaking at a regional security conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the admiral stated that "the United States is deterring China through strength, not through confrontation" and emphasized that "we will not let any nation dominate this region or sweep away the hard-fought sovereign rights of independent states." [1]
The admiral distinguished between legitimate governance and illegitimate control, asserting that "that's not the rule of law. That's the rule by law." [1] The Philippines' defense minister echoed concerns about the scope of China's activities in the region, remarking that "China is everywhere … this is a matter of concern" and pledging to continue resisting threats from Beijing. [1] Meanwhile, negotiations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China on a code of conduct for the South China Sea have made significant progress, with the ASEAN secretary-general indicating the framework could be completed within the year. [1]