Marcos: Maintaining peace in South China Sea a 'world issue'

SINGAPORE — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea is a "world issue" as tensions rise between claimant states in Southeast Asia.

During the question and answer portion of the Shangri-La Dialogue here in Singapore, a member of the audience asked Marcos if the Philippines was "risking regional peace" by "considering other parties' comfort level" in its actions at sea.

The question fits right in with how Beijing has talked about the problems in the South China Sea: as problems caused by the Philippines.

China has also said that the Philippines is following the lead of its treaty partner, the United States.

At different events and meetings, Marcos has said that problems in the area shouldn't just be seen as competition between superpowers.

In response to the audience's question, Marcos said the Philippines "still remains true to the principles" of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc, as the group is focusing on the ASEAN Centrality, or the "core element" of his foreign policy and spotlighted Manila's other regional alliances. 

"If you examine more closely the remarks that I just made, we precisely focus on ASEAN centrality… so the Philippines still remains true to the principles that were established and upon which ASEAN was born. And I think, as I said, that many of these things, we no longer speak of today, but we must," Marcos said.

"I would even go far as to say there is no such thing as a regional issue any longer…. We must include all parties in the discussion because now it is not just ASEAN member states who are stakeholders. And it is quite easy to see that it is, in fact, the entire world that have become stakeholders in the peace and stability of our region," Marcos added.

"When we talk about the South China Sea, we have to also remember that the South China Sea is the passageway for half of the world trade. Therefore, the peace and stability of the South China Sea and the freedom of navigation of the South China Sea is world issue," Marcos also said.

Presence of US in ASEAN region 'important'

In the keynote speech to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Marcos also said that the presence of the United States in the region was "crucial to regional peace" in Southeast Asia, as the Philippines faces growing Chinese pressure in waters off its coastline.

He added that Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries had a vision for "peace, stability, and prosperity" in the South China Sea, but that this was being undermined by other countries.

"Unfortunately, this vision remains for now a distant reality. Illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions continue to violate our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction," Marcos said.

In his speech, Marcos also said that "China's determining influence over the security situation and the economic evolution of this region is a permanent fact".

"At the same time, the stabilizing presence of the United States is crucial to regional peace. It's never a choice. Both countries are important," he added.

As a treaty ally of the United States, Manila is a crucial element in Washington's strategy to reinforce alliances and partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region to counter China's increasing military power and influence.

The Philippines' strategic location in the South China Sea and its proximity to Taiwan, which China claims as its own, make its support essential for the United States in the event of any conflict.