Marcos' trilateral meeting with US, Japan for 'maintenance of peace' in WPS
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PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC --- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that his forthcoming trilateral meetings with Japan and the United States are focused on preserving peace in the West Philippine Sea rather than seeking victory in the region's conflict.
In an interview with reporters after the joint press conference with Czech Republic President Petr Pavel on Thursday (local time), Marcos Jr. said his trilateral engagement is also aimed at upholding peace in the Indo-Pacific region.
“It is really an ongoing process and that all of these discussions are really, as far as the Philippines is concerned, it is concerned with the maintenance of peace and South China Sea,” Marcos Jr. said when asked about what he expected from the meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken next week.
“With an eye not to winning any kind of conflict but really just to maintain the peace and to continue to defend sovereignty and sovereign rights of the Philippines when it comes to these international differences,” Marcos Jr. added.
Marcos reiterated the importance of the South China Sea issue, emphasizing that it is crucial due to the fact that a majority of the world's trade flows through this region.
"A safe navigation and passage of the South China Sea is important to international trade, as goes to 60 percent of international trade goes through that channel and we hope to continue these discussions,” he said.
The Chief Executive previously stated that the upcoming trilateral meeting between officials from the Philippines, the United States, and Japan aims to formalize and enhance the cooperation among the three nations.
He mentioned that the agenda for the meeting in Manila is still being discussed among officials in Washington, Tokyo, and the Philippine capital.
These high-level discussions come in the wake of recent hostilities between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea, actions that have drawn condemnation from the Philippines, the United States, and Japan.
