Marcos: ASEAN 'appreciates' US' active presence in the region

VIENTIANE, Lao PDR — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said Friday that the regional bloc of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been grateful for the active presence of the United States in the region in maintaining peace and stability.

Marcos made the remark during the ASEAN-US Summit at the sidelines of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.

"The regional security and prosperity of ASEAN is bolstered by the continued support of ASEAN's partners. We, in ASEAN, therefore, appreciate the reliable and active presence of the United States in the region as a force for peace, stability, and security in the Indo-Pacific," Marcos said.

"We equally value the consistent support of the United States for ASEAN Centrality in the evolving regional architecture," the President added.

Marcos said ASEAN member-states welcome Washington's initiatives when it comes to providing a platform and opportunities to exchange views about a diverse range of issues, including emerging technologies, energy transition, climate change, and maritime security.

The President also called for the continued implementation of the Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-United States Strategic Partnership (2021-2025) and its Annex which covers all ASEAN Community Pillars.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is President Joe Biden's representative in this year's ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.

For his part, Blinken said the US has remained concerned about China's increasingly dangerous and unlawful actions in the South and East China Seas, "which have injured people, harmed vessels from ASEAN nations and contradicted commitments to peaceful resolution of disputes."

"The United States will continue to support freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the Indo-Pacific," Blinken said.

Last Thursday, Marcos called for "more urgency in the pace of negotiations" of the ASEAN-China Code of Conduct. He said "core elements" of the COC, including geographic scope and its legal nature, "remain outstanding."

In response to Marcos' statements before the ASEAN, Beijing said it would continue to advance consultations for the COC.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked about an NHK report on Marcos urging leaders of ASEAN "not to turn a blind eye to developments in the South China Sea."

Mao said, "China will continue to work with ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, actively advance the consultations of the code of conduct in the South China Sea, and jointly make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation."

Also on Thursday, the Agence France Presse reported that Marcos challenged Chinese Premier Li Qiang over recent clashes in the South China Sea at the regional summit talks, as fears grow that conflict could erupt in the disputed waterway.

Just this week, Chinese vessels fired water cannons at two ships of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), which lies within the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). — VDV, GMA Integrated News