Marcos, Xi agree South China Sea woes 'should not define' PH-Cina ties

SAN FRANCISCO, California, USA - President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed that territorial issues in the South China Sea should not be the defining factor of the two countries’ relations. 

“We were in agreement that the problems that we have in South China Sea with China should not be the defining element of our relationship,” Marcos said at Kapihan sa Media on Saturday (PH time).

Marcos said he requested the meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the 2023 APEC Summit. 

“We try to come up with the mechanisms to lower the tensions in the South China Sea and that's essentially the message of what we spoke of to each other,” Marcos said. 

The Philippine government has been filing diplomatic protests against these Chinese hostile actions as Beijing refuses to recognize the arbitral ruling that invalidates its massive claim in the area.

Marcos also raised the plight of local fishermen to China's leader. 

“Of course, as ever, whenever this issue comes up, I always bring up the plight of the fishermen. And we go back to the situation where both Chinese and Filipino fishermen were fishing together in these waters,” said Marcos.

The President added that addressing the issue in the region is a work in progress, stressing that communication about this matter must be continued.

“We have to continue to communicate. We have to continue to be candid with one another and to be sincere in our desire to keep the peace. And I think that sincerity exists for both all parties involved. I do not think anybody wants to go to war,” Marcos said.

“And so that is something, that is the premise actually to all the discussions that we have been having that how to maintain peace, so that the, the sea lanes and the airways are over the South China Sea are open and continue to be the important important gateway to Asia, as it is today,” he added.

During his state visit in Washington in May, Marcos said the Philippines would continue to balance its relations with China while defending its sovereignty, noting that disengagement with Beijing is not an option.

During a question-and-answer session at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Marcos was asked how Manila will maintain a stable relationship with Beijing while defending its sovereignty amid continued harassment in the South China Sea.

In response, Marcos said, "Well, in the same way that we maintain our relationship with the US, we constantly consult with our allies and partners. We constantly keep our lines of communications open." —VAL, GMA Integrated News