The Philippines holds the magnetic compass when it called for a peaceful resolution of maritime disputes with China, which has been harassing the former’s vessels on humanitarian missions in the West Philippine Sea.
Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said that much this week during the 2024 ASEAN-Australia summit in Melbourne where he unleashed a simple but unmistakable message to China to “stop harassing us.”
We agree with Manalo in seeking international and regional support, while closely monitoring the upcoming US election next November for its potential impact on US-Philippines relations and regional stability.
Manalo made it loud when he said the Philippines was “committed to a peaceful resolution of disputes” with China through “peaceful means” —even as Chinese research vessels have been spotted in the Philippine Rise, clearly within the Philippines’ 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf.
Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard said one of its ships was damaged in a collision with a China Coast Guard vessel during a resupply mission to Filipino troops on a remote outpost in the South China Sea.
It was the latest incident in waters around Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands where the countries have contesting maritime claims.
Chinese coast guard and other vessels undertook “dangerous maneuvers and blocking,” leading to a collision that resulted in “minor structural damage to the PCG vessel,” Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a post on social media platform X.
We endorse Manalo’s defense of the Philippine government’s policy of publicizing Chinese maneuvers in contested maritime territory—including the recent passage of warships near Scarborough Shoal, underlining that “It’s merely trying to inform the people of what’s going on.”
“And some countries or one country at least has some difficulty with that,” he said, adding, “But our simple explanation is if you would stop harassing us and, and perhaps performing other actions, there wouldn’t be any news to report.”
Philippine officials have repeatedly said the Philippines is committed to a peaceful resolution of disputes “through diplomatic means, or peaceful means,” but insisted “this will not be done at the expense of our national interest.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, also in Melbourne on Monday, said the Philippines would push back when its sovereignty and maritime rights are ignored.
Speaking at a Lowy Institute forum, the President said he was committed to working with Southeast Asian nations and China for a long-delayed code of conduct in the South China Sea anchored on international law.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea which includes the West Philippine Sea as its territory, sweeping aside claims from a host of Southeast Asian nations.
Scarborough Shoal – a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the disputed South China Sea – has been a flashpoint between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012 – but the 66-year-old President Marcos has said the Philippines will not cede “one square inch” of territory.
This is where we feel diplomacy is just a call away – to ensure peaceful relations among nations which may include negotiating trade deals, discussing mutual problems like the maritime issues, implementing new policies and tackling disputes.
We hope diplomacy will eventually win over the bullying tactics of some.