Marcos: ASEAN to keep finding ways forward amid South China Sea row

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said the South China Sea territorial row will be best resolved by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China as the regional bloc is in a “stronger” position to find ways forward to resolve the dispute.

In his “Kapihan” press briefing with Filipino reporters in Kuala Lumpur, Marcos said he agreed with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s statement during the East Asia Summit that the South China Sea territorial dispute should be resolved within the ASEAN and its partners in the region through the finalization of a Code of Conduct.

In his remarks, Anwar also warned that outside pressure might escalate tension as he called on all parties to respect the rule of law.

The President said he agreed with Anwar that the lead agency in finding a resolution to the territorial dispute should be the ASEAN.

“Now, of course, it is a bilateral issue between the Philippines and the People’s Republic [of China]. But still, that does not preclude the involvement of ASEAN. And considering that ASEAN has as its members many, many countries that are involved in trade with China that are politically aligned even with China,” Marcos said.

He added that this “makes it a stronger base because you’re not just depending on a single ideology or argument or principle.”

“We can hear from all the other countries. And that makes it different. That makes it stronger. And that makes it more likely for us to be able to find a way forward, to find a way forward so that we can hopefully resolve the issues,” the President said.

What is important, he added, is that the regional bloc and all parties will keep finding a way to manage the tension in the region.

“That is why after I spoke about Bajo de Masinloc and about the nature reserve, I also spoke about what are the possibilities, how we can resolve or how can we work around such issues,” Marcos said.

Despite the maritime row over the West Philippine Sea, the Marcos administration will continue to find ways to redefine the Philippines’ relationship with China.

“I really believe that the way forward is to change. Because when you talk about China and the Philippines, all you talk about are the territorial disputes,” he said.

The President pointed out that there is a “huge possibility” for trade, exchanges, discussions and engagements with China “that do not include these territorial disputes.”

“So, I would very much like to say, all right, we disagree, we agree to disagree, now let’s do other things, let’s do other things. And that’s what I will try to achieve in the year of our chairship here in ASEAN,” Marcos added

On several occasions during the recently-concluded ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur, Marcos criticized China’s plan to establish a nature reserve in Bajo de Masinloc.

Bajo de Masinloc is just 124 nautical miles away from Masinloc, Zambales and is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.

He first called out the plan without mentioning China in the 13th ASEAN-US Summit on Monday as a violation of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and as a violation of the Philippines’ sovereignty, jurisdiction, as well as the fishing rights of Filipino fisherfolk. — JMA, GMA Integrated News