President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday called on China to follow international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as he underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.

Marcos said he made his stand known in talks with Chinese officials.

"I told them that we need to follow the law, we need to follow the international law, we need to follow the UNCLOS," he stressed.

Marcos said there is a need to avoid tension in the South China Sea being one of the most important trading routes in the world.

The Chief Executive made the remarks in response to a question about his talk with China regarding the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands ruled in favor of the country's claims in the West Philippine Sea.

However, China rejected the arbitral ruling and stood by its historic nine-dash line claim.

During the 17th East Asia Summit, China expressed readiness to work with ASEAN countries to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea and to keep the international shipping lanes open and unimpeded for the good of the common development of all countries.

On Saturday, Marcos had a brief conversation with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the sidelines of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations-Plus Three Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The Office of the Press Secretary said both sides agreed to further deepen the bilateral relations between the Philippines and China.

On the same day, the Palace announced that Marcos will visit China in early January upon the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state visit.

Action vs climate change urged
Marcos called on world leaders to "act decisively and immediately" on pressing global issues, primarily climate change and food security.

During his intervention in the 17th East Asia Summit, Marcos underscored the importance of attaining self-sufficiency, as well as the adaptability of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations despite numerous threats to the global food chain.

"It has become glaringly clear that there is a dire need to strengthen food security towards self-sufficiency in our region, to increase adaptability and resilience in the face of threats to the global supply chain," he said.

"It is incumbent upon us, for our sake and that of future generations, to act decisively and immediately on climate change," he added.

He made the call in front of world leaders, which included United States President Joe Biden, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Kate Ardern, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, India Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol and Australia Prime Minister Anthony Norman Albanese.

Moving towards the post-pandemic economic recovery, the chief executive said stakeholders in ASEAN and East Asia must build on and improve existing strategies towards holistic and green, and sustainable development to ensure environmentally-sound economic progress.

"Our people look to their leaders, to us, to correctly navigate the uncertain waters of this new world," Marcos said.

"Our partnerships will make us strong. Our partnerships will give us wisdom. The future awaits," he added.

Meanwhile, the President expressed his support for the initiatives of the EAS, especially in promoting women's economic empowerment, strengthening energy security, and promoting volunteerism for sustainable development, which he said aligned with the summit objectives as a leaders-led forum on strategic issues.

Marcos also said that he looks forward to working closely together with Indonesia, the incoming ASEAN chair for the year 2023, in continuing community-building efforts.

Phl managing risks of war, calamities
On Sunday, Marcos said the Philippines is prepared to manage the risks posed by various conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the devastating effects of natural calamities.

In his intervention during the second Association of Southeast Asian Nations Global Dialogue, Marcos said measures will be done through the Medium-Term Fiscal Program and the upcoming Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, which will contain targets and strategic actions of government agencies in the next six years.

"I am quite optimistic that we have started along the path to recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic and the attendant problems in our economy," he said.

Both the Senate and House of Representatives earlier adopted the administration's proposed MTFP which aims to sustain the country's strong post-pandemic economic recovery and support accelerated growth.

Marcos noted the gross domestic product growth displayed a rebound growth rate of 5.7-percent in 2021 and a 7.8-percent average growth rate for the first half of 2022.

"These numbers are welcome indicators. They show that our recovery is proving to be robust and that we are returning to our original growth trajectory prior to the crisis," the President pointed out.

Despite the positive development, Marcos cautioned that everyone is not out of the woods yet.

He maintained a single country cannot achieve economic progress alone.

"We, as ASEAN, must promote a people-oriented and people-centered recovery and development pathway beyond the Covid-19 pandemic," he said.

'On Russia-Ukraine conflict'
Meanwhile, Marcos said that the Russia-Ukraine conflict must come to an end, urging all stakeholders to resort to diplomacy.

"My comment about Ukraine (issue) is that we really need to stop the war. They should talk as soon as possible. The ASEAN must do its best to help in the diplomatic process," Marcos told reporters after attending the EAS in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

In his intervention at the EAS, he noted that nations should exert all possible efforts to bring peace to Ukraine through a diplomatic feat.