Marcos: South China Sea remains 'point of contention'

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. said Tuesday that the South China Sea remains to be a ''point of contention.'' 

Marcos made the remark during the call with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Ching as part of his two-day visit in Vietnam. Amid this, Marcos said the Philippines continue to uphold the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. 

''On regional and international issues, the South China Sea remains to be a point of contention. The Philippines’ position on the South China Sea has been consistent, clear, and firmly anchored in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,'' Marcos said.

He stressed that there continues to be the undertaking of ''unilateral and illegal actions that violate our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction, and exacerbate tensions in the South China Sea.''

Marcos shared an instance in December of last year wherein the China Coast Guard harassed Philippine forces at the Ayungin Shoal, which is part of the Kalayaan Island Group as well as the Philippines' exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, over which the country has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.

''As a concrete example, on 10 December last year, the China Coast Guard once again used a water cannon and damaged a Philippine vessel that was undertaking a legitimate and routine resupply mission in the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. This closely followed a similar incident which happened in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal,'' Marcos said. 

He vowed that the Philippines would continue to defend its sovereignty against any provocations in the region, noting that it will continue to address issues with China in a peaceful way.

''At the same time, we are also seeking to address these issues with China through peaceful dialogue and consultations as two equal sovereign states,” Marcos said.

'Work with like-minded nations'

The president said the Philippine government is willing to work with like-minded nations, such as Vietnam, in pushing for a rules-based international order in the South China Sea.

Marcos said the Philippines and Vietnam shared a similar assessment of the current state of the regional environment with other maritime nations in the Asia-Pacific.

''We are committed to work in partnership with other like-minded states to ensure a rules-based international order in the Asia-Pacific region governed by international law,'' the president assured.

''Our support for ASEAN centrality and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific as the foremost regional framework and as the architecture for collective peace, stability and prosperity remains steadfast,'' he added.

Tensions with China

For the past several months, the Philippines and China have been involved in diplomatic exchanges and physical standoffs in parts of the waters within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone which have been renamed West Philippine Sea.

The Philippine Navy on Tuesday reported that some 15 to 25 Chinese warships have been spotted around Mischief Reef or Panganiban Reef, just some 25 miles away from Ayungin Shoal where the government is set to deploy a resupply mission for troops at a military outpost there.

Just last week, Filipino fishermen reported being harassed by the Chinese Coast Guard at the Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2023, the Philippines and the United States have begun a series of joint air and maritime patrols in the contested waters

Chinese military forces are also conducting "routine patrols" with its naval and air forces in the South China Sea, the military's Southern Theater Command said, as ongoing tensions simmer in the region over disputed territories.

The Philippine military reiterated China should respect the Philippines' sovereignty and the right to conduct activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The ensuing situation has led to Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers expressing concern over actions in the South China Sea that endanger the safety of people and renew their call for self-restraint to avoid escalating tensions in the disputed waters when they meet starting on Sunday in Laos.

—RF/RSJ, GMA Integrated News