Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers a speech at the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue Summit in Singapore on May 31, 2024.
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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said if a Filipino citizen was killed in the South China Sea over an incident with Chinese coast guard, that would “almost certainly” raise a red line.
When Marcos delivered a keynote speech at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, he was asked whether the “red line” would be crossed if the Chinese Coast Guard’s water cannon shot and killed a Filipino sailor, and under what circumstances the “red line” would be crossed in mutual defense between the United States and the Philippines. ? The treaty was invoked.
The president said that if such an incident was intentional, it would “increase the level of (Philippine) response” and “get very, very close to what we define as an act of war.”
“I am confident that our treaty partners hold the same standards” for any joint action in support of any such incident in the Philippines, he added.
In late March, the Philippines accused a Chinese coast guard ship of using high-pressure water cannons against a Philippine ship heading to Second Thomas Shoal, injuring three Filipino crew members. In response, the China Coast Guard stated that it has taken necessary measures measure Oppose Philippine ships to intrude into its waters.
Earlier that month, China Coast Guard accused of water cannon attack Four Filipino crew members were injured by broken glass.
Manila deployed a resupply mission to the shoal to resupply a small garrison aboard an aging warship that was intentionally stranded in 1999 to protect Manila’s maritime claims.
Beijing still claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that China’s claims have no basis in international law. China refused to recognize the results.
“I don’t want to give in”
In his keynote speech, Marcos cited 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seaor the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which establishes the legal framework for all ocean and maritime activities.
Marcos said that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea also clarifies the boundaries of each country’s maritime areas and clarifies the scope within which countries can exercise sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over these maritime areas. He noted that the Philippines “makes a conscious effort to align our definition of territory and maritime areas with what is permitted and recognized by international law.”
“Our efforts stand in stark contrast to tough actions aimed at spreading excessive and unfounded claims through force, intimidation and deception,” he said, without naming China directly.
Marcos said the country was defending the integrity of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as the constitution of the oceans, adding that it defined its territory and maritime areas “in a manner befitting a responsible and law-abiding member of the international community.”
“We have submitted our claims to rigorous legal scrutiny by the world’s leading jurists. As a result, the lines we draw on the waters are drawn not just from our imaginations but from international law.”
He mentioned not only the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea but also the 2016 ruling, which he said affirmed the Philippines’ legal rights.
Marcos said he would not allow the waters of the West Philippine Sea, part of the South China Sea that the Philippines officially designates as its exclusive economic zone, to deviate from its territorial waters.
“As president, I made this solemn promise from day one in office that I do not intend to give in. Filipinos will not give in,” he said.
global issues
However, Marcos said the Philippines remains committed to resolving and managing difficult issues through dialogue and diplomacy.
“We cannot afford any future for the South China Sea other than the peaceful, stable and prosperous ocean envisioned by ASEAN,” he said.
He pointed out that the South China Sea is the passage for half of the world’s trade, and called peace and stability in the region a “world issue,” noting that “it is not difficult to see that, in fact, the entire world is paying attention to the South China Sea issue.” Stable stakeholders.
Marcos believed that security and stability concern all countries and emphasized that “the interests and responsibilities of all countries and the international community must always be recognized.”
“All our voices must be heard equally,” he said.
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