(TibetanReview.net, Mar07’24) – Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo on Mar 4 urged regional maritime neighbours to stand together more strongly in upholding the rule of law in the South China Sea, where China had constructed garrisons on several artificial islands in a bid to fortify its expansionist claims. Later, on the same day, the country’s president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said he had no choice but to defend his country’s maritime territory against what he called Chinese aggression and illegal actions in pursuit of Beijing’s own territorial claims, reported the AP Mar 4.
“It is unfortunate that despite the clarity provided by international law, provocative, unilateral and illegal actions continue to infringe upon our sovereignty, our sovereign rights and jurisdictions,” Marcos has told the Lowy Institute international policy think tank in the Australian city of Melbourne.
China claims sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea, which is one of the world’s most crucial waterways for shipping. That has put it at odds with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei, which all maintain claims to islands, reefs and undersea resources in the region, the report said.
Marcos, who was attending a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Melbourne, has said standing up to China in the South China Sea was not a policy choice.
“We simply have no choice. We must defend the territory of the republic. That is a primordial duty of a leader,” Marcos has said. “The territorial integrity of the Philippines cannot be threatened, and if threats are made, then we must defend against those threats.”
The Philippines has accused China of deploying coast guard ships and civilian vessels to block fishermen’s access to reefs and corals and prevent resupply of its troops.
The report said both Marcos and Manalo referred to the Philippines’ legal victory over China in a 2016 arbitration ruling in The Hague, Netherlands, that invalidated Beijing’s vast territorial claims in the South China Sea. China did not accept the ruling.
“The shared stewardship of the seas and oceans in the region behoves us to unite in preserving the primacy of international law so we can ensure equitable and sustainable outcomes for all,” Manalo has said. “It also calls for us to stand firmly together in opposing actions that contradict or are inconsistent with international law.”
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has echoed Manalo’s comments, saying the nine ASEAN member states represented at the Melbourne summit needed to “nurture and protect agreed rules, uphold international law, prevent conflict and build strategic trust.”
She has announced that Australia would spend 40 million Australian dollars ($26 million) on enhancing its maritime partnerships in the region aimed at both security and prosperity.