PRESIDENT FERDINAND R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday maintained his stance to settle the territorial disputes in the South China Sea (SCS) with China and other claimants in a “peaceful” manner.
Amid the growing tensions in the SCS because of China’s provocative acts, Marcos told Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in separate meetings in Hanoi that the Philippines wants to address the maritime row through peaceful dialogue and consultations.
“On regional and international issues, the South China Sea remains to be a point of contention,” Marcos said.
“We are firm in defending our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction against these Chinese provocations. But at the same time, we are also seeking to address these issues with China and all other partners through peaceful dialogue and consultations as two equal sovereign states,” he added.
Still, Marcos expressed dismay over China’s “unilateral and illegal actions that violate our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction, and exacerbate tensions” in SCS.
He lamented that China’s aggressive actions led to “unfortunate” incidents involving Chinese and Philippine vessels.
Despite this, Marcos said the Philippine position on the SCS “has been consistent, clear, and firmly anchored in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
“As a maritime nation, we share a similar assessment of the current state of our regional environment with other maritime nations of the Asia-Pacific. Our countries have crucial roles to play in shaping the regional security discourse and in upholding the rules-based international order,” he said.
“I also wish to stress that the Philippines has an independent foreign policy. The Philippines considers both the United States and China as key actors in maintaining peace and security, as well as economic growth and development of our region,” Marcos added.
Marcos stressed that sailings and air traffic over the SCS must “remain free” for the large amount of trade that goes through the busy waterway.
Noting Vietnam’s continued interest in undertaking a Joint Submission on Extended Continental Shelf to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), Marcos said the Philippines is willing to work with for a joint submission “at the appropriate time.”
Marcos said the Philippines is committed to work with other “like-minded” states to ensure a rules-based international order in the Asia-Pacific region governed by international law.
“Our support for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) centrality and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific as the foremost regional framework and as the architecture for collective peace, stability and prosperity remains steadfast,” he said.
Long-lasting resolution of global conflicts
Meantime, Marcos called for a “long-lasting” resolution of international conflicts.
He cited his concern over the escalating tensions in Taiwan Strait, Myanmar, Gaza, Lebanon and the Red Sea.
"The Philippines stands ready to work with other countries towards a long-lasting resolution to the conflict in accordance with pertinent UN (United Nations) Security Council Resolutions and the general principles of international law,” Marcos said.
Marcos likewise thanked Vietnam for supporting the Philippines’ bid to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member for 2027-2028. (Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos)
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