JAKARTA, Indonesia — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. rejected misleading narratives that framed the disputes in the South China Sea due to geopolitical tension between the United States and China.

Marcos made the remarks at the intervention during the 43rd ASEAN Summit Retreat Session this week, as he called on all parties to the disputes in the South China Sea to exercise self-restraint and resolve their differences peacefully.

"The Philippines firmly rejects misleading narratives that frame the disputes in the South China Sea solely to the lens of strategic competition between two powerful countries," Marcos said.

"This not only denies us our independence, our agency, but it also disregards our own legitimate interests," he added.

Marcos also reiterated the Philippines' commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea.

He said that the Philippines will continue to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, in accordance with international law.

"We do not seek conflict," Marcos said. "But it is our duty as citizens and as leaders, to always rise and meet any challenge to our sovereignty, to our sovereign rights, and our maritime jurisdiction in the South China Sea."

Marcos also called for self-restraint from all parties involved in the South China Sea disputes.

He said that actions should be the ultimate measure of their commitment to securing peace and stability in the region.

"History will ultimately judge whether the supremacy of the rule of law will prevail, ushering in an era where all nations truly stand as equals, independent and unswayed by any single, outside power," Marcos said.

"The challenge for us remains: we must never allow the international peaceful order to be subjected to the forces of might, applied for a hegemonic ambition. The future of peace rests now on how we, together, face this challenge to that peace," he added.

China asserts control over almost the entire South China Sea, but the international tribunal in The Hague rejected this assertion in 2016, after a case brought by the Philippines in 2013.

Despite the tribunal's decision, Beijing has consistently disregarded and downplayed it, maintaining that it possesses an "undeniable" and "historical" right to most of the waters, even as it encroaches on the territories of smaller neighboring countries like the Philippines.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam have all contested China's extensive claims in the South China Sea.