MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on March 4 said the Philippines would cooperate with China in areas where their interests align, but would push back when its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the South China Sea are ignored.
Speaking at a Lowy Institute forum during a visit to Australia, Mr Marcos said he was committed to working with other South-east Asian nations and China for a long-delayed code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea anchored on international law.
“These efforts are not pursued in a vacuum. A conducive environment where tensions are effectively managed is crucial to the success of the COC negotiations,” he said, as he reiterated he would not surrender any Philippine territory to a foreign power.
Ties between Manila and Beijing have soured since Mr Marcos took office in 2022, with repeated spats over disputed features in the South China Sea at a time when the Philippines has been forging closer defence ties with its long-time military ally the United States.
“Our alliance has been a pillar of regional stability for decades, and we all need for it to continue to be a force for good in the coming years,” said Mr Marcos, the son and namesake of the late Philippine strongman who ruled for two decades until his fall in 1986.
In a departure from his predecessor’s pro-China stance, Mr Marcos has accused China of aggressive acts in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, including use of water cannon and collision tactics to drive away Philippine vessels in areas Beijing sees as its territory.
Under Mr Marcos, the Philippines has nearly doubled the number of its bases accessible to American forces, including three new sites facing Taiwan, moves that China sees as provocations.
US-Philippines military exercises have taken place regularly for decades, but manoeuvres have extended recently to include joint air and sea patrols over the South China Sea and close to Taiwan, actions China has seen as provocations and “stirring up trouble”.
China, which claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, has accused the Philippines of repeatedly trespassing on its territory, while urging dialogue to prevent mishaps.
“Our independent foreign policy compels us to cooperate with them on matters where our interests align, to respectfully disagree on areas where our views differ, and to push back when our sworn principles such as our sovereignty, our sovereign rights, and our jurisdiction... are questioned or ignored,” Mr Marcos said.
Too much emphasis was being placed on the superpower rivalry between the US and China at the expense of legitimate maritime interests of other countries in the region, he said.
“It distracts us from calling out aggressive, unilateral, illegal and unlawful actions for what they are: attacks against the rule of international law and the principles of the Charter of United Nations,” he said.
Mr Marcos also said he has approved the third phase of the military’s acquisition plan to support the Philippines’ shift in focus away from internal to external defence.
“Our forces must be able to guarantee to the fullest extent possible... unimpeded and peaceful exploration and exploitation of all natural resources in areas where we have jurisdiction, including... our exclusive economic zone,” he said. REUTERS
