On Tuesday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. emphasized the country’s firm stance in defending its sovereignty against Chinese provocations while seeking peaceful dialogue and consultations to address issues with China and other partners.
During a state visit to Vietnam, Marcos acknowledged that the South China Sea remains a point of contention. The visit also witnessed the signing of memoranda of understanding on incident prevention and management in the South China Sea and cooperation between the coast guards of the Philippines and Vietnam.
The Philippines and China have previously agreed to improve communication and calmly deal with strategically important South China Sea incidents. However, tensions between the two countries have escalated, with clashes occurring in the disputed waters and accusations being traded
Despite these challenges, President Marcos expressed the Philippines’ intention to address these issues with China and other partners through peaceful dialogue and consultations as equal sovereign states.
President Marcos also expressed his concern over tensions across the Taiwan Strait during his meeting with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong He highlighted that any conflict in Taiwan would have implications for the northern parts of the Philippines and the safety of Filipinos residing and working on the democratic island.
Source: PhilNews24 | January 31, 2024
