President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said countries beyond Asia must not interfere in the territorial dispute in the South China Sea (SCS).
“It should be us in Asia who decides the future of Asia, the Asia-Pacific region, the Indo-Pacific region. It should be those who live there who will dictate what happens in the region,” Marcos said in an interview with reporters before his departure from Thailand last Saturday.
He made the remark when asked about his reaction to the statement issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry that Philippines and China should reject “acts of bullying” in the SCS.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry released the statement after Marcos’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last Thursday at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, wherein both countries discussed possible partner-ships in agriculture, energy, and infrastructure.
Marcos earlier said he supports the position of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to come out with a Code of Conduct (COC) to address existing territorial issues in the SCS.
The president also said he does not think the visit of United States Vice President Kamala Harris this week will fuel the tension between Philippines and China due to the SCS dispute.
Harris is expected to travel to Palawan, which is the country’s nearest territory to the South China Sea.
“It is the closest area to the South China Sea, but it’s very clearly on Philippine territory. So I don’t think there should be—I don’t think it will cause problems,” Marcos said.
The president said he intends to discuss with Harris the country’s “evolving” relations with the US.
“I think when it comes to the security and defense in the Asia Pacific, it really has to be—it really has to be a joint response. I don’t think a single country should —I don’t think any single country should [go] it alone. I think we will do much better if we respond as a group, and I think the other countries agree,” Marcos said.
