MANILA: After flagging “coercive activities’ in the South China Sea, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told Chinese Premier Li Qiang that the Philippines will “continue to push for cooperation with China and work towards more partnerships and collaboration, Malacañang said in a statement on Thursday.
The two Asian leaders met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China Summit, where Marcos Jr. underscored the need for a code of conduct in the South China Sea that is anchored on international law.
“The President said that the Philippines will continue to push for cooperation with China and work towards more partnerships and collaboration,” the statement from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) read.
“He earlier said that he is pleased with the latest developments in the negotiations for a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea and that the Philippines will assert its rights in accordance with international law,” it said.
In several occasions during the Asean Summit in Jakarta, Marcos Jr. raised concerns over “hegemonic ambitions” in the South China Sea, and urged other Southeast Asian leaders to find “practical” solutions to protect the regional bloc’s interests in the strategic waterway.
A week before the Asean Summit, China drew international ire for using a 10-dash line map that marks nearly the entire South China Sea as Beijing’s territory.
Several countries – including some Asean members – had also criticized Beijing after Chinese Coast Guard ships used a water cannon and blocked Philippine vessels from delivering fresh supplies to Filipino soldiers stationed near Ayungin Shoal.
