President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to rally and take action over the “dangerous use” of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea as he asserted the country’s sovereign rights and maritime jurisdiction in the Philippine waters.
In his intervention during the 18th East Asia Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia on Thursday, President Marcos called on ASEAN member countries and its partners to harness their shared interest and rally together in taking joint action, “guided by ASEAN Centrality and universal multilateralism.”
President Marcos is in Jakarta, Indonesia attending the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.
“We must not allow tensions in the South China Sea to further escalate,” President Marcos said during the 18th East Asia Summit, which was attended by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was also present along with South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol, US Vice President Kamala Harris, and other world leaders.
“In this spirit and in accordance with the DOC, we continue to urge all parties to exercise self-restraint and refrain from unilateral and assertive activities that would increase tensions in the region, misunderstandings, and miscalculations in the South China Sea,” President Marcos said.
“We are concerned over consistent actions that are in violation of obligations under international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, and under the DOC,” he added, referring to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
The chief executive also stood firm that the Philippines continues to oppose “the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels” in the Philippine waters.
President Marcos added that the Philippines is also concerned about the illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and the militarization of reclaimed features in the South China Sea.
“The Philippines remains resolute towards the peaceful resolution of disputes. We continue to support freedom of navigation and overflight, and the rules-based international order in the South China Sea,” President Marcos said.
The President also emphasized that the Philippine government is pleased with the progress in discussing the milestone issues and a preliminary review of the Single Draft Negotiating Text (SDNT) during the negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) held in Manila few weeks ago. PND
