Published March 15, 2024
‘All of these commotion has not been caused by the Philippines,’ says President Marcos, referring to tensions between the Philippines in China in the South China Sea
MANILA, Philippines – Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the country’s sovereignty and territorial jurisdiction are essential principles should there be a resumption of joint exploration talks with China in the South China Sea.
“We cannot, at any point somehow compromise the territorial integrity of the Philippines,” Marcos told reporters late Friday in Prague.
Talks over joint energy exploration in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone were terminated in 2022, four years after the two countries committed to work together, with the Philippines’ foreign ministry citing constitutional constraints and issues of sovereignty.
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SOURCE: www.rappler.com
RELATED: Standing Up to China, Philippine Leader Courts New Network of Partners
Escalating tensions in the South China Sea, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. says, are not only a regional issue, but a global one.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines and Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany this past week at the chancellery in Berlin./Credit…Markus Schreiber/Associated Press
Published March 15, 2024
With China aggressively asserting its claims on the South China Sea, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines spent his first year on the job beefing up Manila’s alliance with its oldest ally, the United States. Now he is shoring up support from a wider and new network of partners.
Mr. Marcos is adding a new intensity to his muscular foreign policy at a critical moment in his country’s territorial dispute with Beijing. Maritime clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels have become more frequent in recent months.
In January, Mr. Marcos and the leaders of Vietnam, another country fighting off Chinese claims to the crucial waterway, pledged closer cooperation between their coast guards. This month, Mr. Marcos clinched a maritime cooperation deal with Australia. And this past week, he took his pitch to Europe.
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SOURCE: www.nytimes.com
RELATED: China loses strategic waters in the South China Sea
Published March 15, 2024
IN BRIEF
From 2012 to 2021, Beijing continued to advance its claim to ‘historic rights’ in the South China Sea. But since 2022, Southeast Asian claimants have stopped ceding ground, leading to incidents of Chinese aggression against Philippine vessels and disputes over areas such as the Second Thomas Shoal. Meanwhile, other Southeast Asian countries have deepened security partnerships and diplomatic activities to counter Chinese aggression. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia continue to develop infrastructure and oil and gas fields in disputed areas, despite Chinese opposition. Beijing’s reluctance to use outright military force underscores a shift in momentum in favour of the Southeast Asian claimants.
The most well-reported South China Sea story of 2023 was the ongoing crisis around Second Thomas Shoal where Manila is determined to repair the BRP Sierra Madre. Every month, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has escorted civilian ships to resupply Manila’s troops aboard the grounded ship. And every month, the China Coast Guard (CCG) and militia have employed dangerous but non-kinetic tactics to block them, so far without success. The Philippines has also re-established a regular presence around Scarborough Shoal for the first time since 2012 despite similar Chinese grey zone tactics.
The CCG was accused of using a military-grade laser to temporarily blind a Filipino crew member in February 2023, followed by a series of near collisions as Chinese vessels sought to block the path of Philippine ships. The CCG also turned watercannons on Philippine government and civilian ships around Second Thomas and Scarborough Shoal.
