Having the strategic assist of the European Union locations the ASEAN and the Philippines in “a very strong position” to barter points as regards the South China Sea, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. mentioned Wednesday.
At the press convention of the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit, Marcos was requested what concrete steps each regional teams may take to make sure the rule of legislation in disputed areas.
He mentioned objections to violations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea could be stronger if raised by a bunch of countries such because the ASEAN and the EU.
“Every action that might be taken that objects or brings light to a possible violation of the UNCLOS is much stronger when it is brought about by a group of nations such as ASEAN and if the EU, now with our strategic partnership, is able to also join their voices to that, then that will be much stronger in the terms of actually being able to enforce what UNCLOS is all about,” Marcos mentioned.
Marcos mentioned the EU’s dedication discovered within the joint declaration to “the doctrine of behaviors in the South China Sea is already a very, very big step for us in the Philippines, for example, and all the countries around the South China Sea.”
“That we now have the strategic support from not only the member-countries of EU but of EU itself, because EU and ASEAN together comprise the largest, most well-organized regional aggrupations, then that will be a very strong position to be able to negotiate even individually for the Philippines or jointly with ASEAN or even with the EU as perhaps a third party for us to take action and to negotiate further these difficulties that we are all having to face with the problems in terms of territoriality in the South China Sea,” Marcos mentioned.
China, invoking its historic nine-dash line, is claiming many of the South China Sea.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidated China’s claims and upheld the Philippines unique financial zone as offered beneath the UNCLOS.
China has repeatedly mentioned that it didn’t acknowledge the arbitration ruling and continued to say areas within the area properly inside the Philippines’ EEZ.
Marcos in September asserted the nation’s sovereignty within the West Philippine Sea, saying Philippines and China had no “territorial conflict.” He mentioned Beijing is claiming what’s a part of the nation’s territory.
“The position that the Philippines takes is that we have no territorial conflict with China. What we have [is] China claiming territory that belongs to the Philippines,” Marcos mentioned in an interview with former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who hosted the President’s assembly with the Asia Society in New York.
“This is the position we take, and with our American partners, we have promoted that position. We have also made it clear to our friends in Beijing that this is the way we feel about it,” he mentioned.
The President, in the meantime, urged for a nearer maritime cooperation to deal with the ocean row and geo-political rivalry within the Indo-Pacific.
“Beyond declaring respect and support for UNCLOS as a legal framework that governs all activities in the oceans and seas, we need to see an effective application of the UNCLOS to address the maritime disputes and geo-political rivalry in the Indo-Pacific to truly realize the still distant aspiration for the Indo-Pacific to become a sea of peace and prosperity for us all,” he mentioned throughout his speech on the Commemorative Summit between the ASEAN and the EU.
The Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) not too long ago confirmed the “swarming” of a number of Chinese vessels within the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
The Wescom, which guards the Kalayaan Islands, mentioned these vessels went close to Palawan regardless of the word verbale despatched by the Philippines.—NB/AOL, GMA Integrated News
