Philippines’ Marcos Jr urges army to deal with South China Sea | South China Sea Information

President says the nation’s boundaries are being referred to as into query simply weeks after public dispute with China.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has mentioned his nation’s army should urgently deal with the safety of territorial integrity as disputes between Manila and China multiply amid rising rivalry within the area between Beijing and Washington.

Marcos Jr made his remark in a speech to his armed forces simply weeks after he summoned China’s ambassador in Manila to protest in opposition to using a military-grade laser by the Chinese language coastguard that briefly blinded crew members of a Philippine patrol vessel within the South China Sea.

“I’m saying that your mission within the AFP has modified,” Marcos advised troops late on Monday, referring to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“For a lot of, a few years, we have been in a position to preserve that peace and preserve that understanding with all of our neighbours. Now issues have begun to alter and we should alter accordingly,” he mentioned.

The president mentioned his nation’s boundaries have been being put into query, “and there are various issues which can be taking place so the air power has a really huge mission to completely safe the Philippines”.

He additionally cited “the intensification of the competitors between the superpowers”.

Whereas not providing specifics nor mentioning China by title in his speech in central Cebu province, he underscored that Philippine international coverage stays dedicated to peace.

Regardless of being a comparatively small nation, “we nonetheless should combat for the rights of each Filipino as a result of the Philippines is a sovereign nation”, he mentioned.

The president’s remarks come at a time when the Philippine army has begun to refocus exterior defence after a long time of inside conflicts involving Muslim and communist insurgent teams.

China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have been locked in an more and more tense territorial standoff within the South China Sea, the place US Navy ships and fighter jets have carried out patrols to advertise freedom of motion, problem Beijing’s expansive claims and reassure allies just like the Philippines.

The disputes have intensified since China turned a number of disputed reefs into missile-protected island bases to bolster its claims to nearly the whole thing of the South China Sea. The maritime dispute is considered a attainable Asian flashpoint and a fragile entrance within the US-China rivalry within the area.

Underneath a 2014 defence pact, Marcos not too long ago permitted a wider US army presence within the Philippines by permitting rotating batches of US forces to remain in 4 extra Philippine army camps. That may be a sharp turnaround from his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who feared {that a} US army presence might offend Beijing.

Manila has additionally entered agreements for shut army relations with Japan and Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles mentioned final week that the 2 nations have been contemplating collectively patrolling the South China Sea.

The Philippine Division of Overseas Affairs mentioned on Monday that it had filed dozens of protests to China over what it describes as Beijing’s “unlawful presence” within the West Philippine Sea – the official title that Manila makes use of to discuss with areas of the South China Sea. Overseas affairs spokesperson Teresita Daza mentioned the Philippines has filed a complete of 77 protests in opposition to China, together with 10 lodged to this point this yr.

“The Philippines continues to protest China’s persistent and unlawful presence within the Philippine waters, together with these close to Ayungin Shoal,” Daza mentioned, in accordance with the state-run Philippine Information Company.

Earlier this month, Manila accused China’s coastguard of aiming a “military-grade laser” at considered one of its coastguard vessels that was supporting a resupply mission for troops on an atoll in Ayungin Shoal, which is also called Second Thomas Shoal.

The Philippines has filed a complete of 77 protests in opposition to China, together with 10 this yr, underneath the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Division of Overseas Affairs mentioned.

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— Philippine Information Company (@pnagovph) February 28, 2023

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez advised Reuters information company on Monday that the Philippines is in talks to probably embody Australia and Japan in deliberate joint South China Sea patrols with the US.

If the plan materialises, it will likely be the primary time the Philippines will be a part of multilateral maritime patrols within the South China Sea, a transfer that will probably anger Beijing, which claims many of the sea as its territory.

The international ministries of Australia and Japan and the embassies of the US and China in Manila didn’t instantly reply to separate requests for remark.