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- The Philippines calls on China to comply with its obligations under international law, cease and desist from displaying illegal and irresponsible behavior
MANILA: The administration of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will continue to oppose Beijing鈥檚 presence in the Philippine part of the South China Sea, the incoming national security adviser said on Friday, after over 100 vessels from Asia鈥檚 largest economy were spotted in the disputed waters.
The South China Sea is a strategic and resource-rich waterway claimed by China almost in its entirety, but other countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei, also have overlapping claims.
The Philippines has filed hundreds of diplomatic protests against Chinese activity in the South China Sea in the past few years, after an international tribunal in The Hague dismissed Beijing鈥檚 sweeping claims to the region in 2016.
HIGHLIGHT
President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will add to hundreds of diplomatic protests filed against Beijing in the South China Sea over the past few years.
鈥淲e will continue to file diplomatic protests. Never mind that we are filing 10,000 of them because if we don鈥檛, that means we acquiesce to the situation on the ground,鈥� Clarita Carlos, nominated as Marcos鈥� national security adviser, said in a media briefing.
Marcos, who scored a landslide victory in last month鈥檚 presidential election, will take over the country鈥檚 top office from outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte on June 30.
Carlos鈥� comments followed a formal complaint with the Chinese Embassy in Manila launched by the Department of Foreign Affairs against 鈥渢he lingering unauthorized presence of Chinese fishing and maritime vessels,鈥� which it said in a statement was 鈥渘ot only illegal, but is also a source of instability in the region.鈥�
The foreign office disclosed on Thursday that Philippine authorities spotted in April 鈥渙ver 100 Chinese vessels illegally operating鈥� in a part of the country鈥檚 exclusive economic zone around the boomerang-shaped Whitsun Reef 鈥� a year after a similar incident caused a diplomatic row.
鈥淭he Philippines calls on China to comply with its obligations under international law, cease and desist from displaying illegal and irresponsible behavior, avoid further escalating tensions at sea and immediately withdraw all of its vessels from Philippine maritime zones,鈥� the Department of Foreign Affairs stated.
While Marcos鈥檚 immediate predecessor fostered warmer ties with China by setting aside The Hague tribunal鈥檚 ruling in exchange for promises of trade and investment, the president-elect, who vowed in his campaign to embrace Duterte鈥檚 key policies, said last month he would uphold the international ruling against Beijing.
鈥淲e have a very important ruling in our favor and we will use it to continue to assert our territorial rights. It is not a claim. It is already our territorial right,鈥� he told the local media.
鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about China.
We talk to China consistently with a firm voice,鈥� he said, but added: 鈥淲e cannot go to war with them. That鈥檚 the last thing we need right now.鈥�