By Brian Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday cautioned against calling all competing maritime disputes on the South China Sea equal, as he reiterated that territorial claims on the contested waters should be grounded on international law.
In a foreign policy speech delivered at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi as part of his five-day state visit to India, the President noted that some states justify provocations under the pretext of geopolitics, as well as those who seek to discredit international legal procedures and dismiss binding rulings.
“The complex issue of competing claims in the South China Sea has, for years, been unfortunately and simplistically reduced to ‘the South China Sea disputes,’ as if claims were all equal. They are not,” Marcos said.
These assertions, he stressed, should conform with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and “definitive, binding interpretations such as the 2016 Arbitral Award.”
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration dismissed China’s so-called nine-dash line in the South China Sea, which includes the West Philippine Sea.
He underscored that countries, including the Philippines and India, must “play a more active role in upholding, defending, and preserving our rules-based order.”
He also cited India’s adherence to the law and its efforts to comply with international tribunal rulings on maritime disputes, praising the country’s move as “a model for how a responsible major power and a good neighbor should behave.”
Marcos also highlighted the importance of collaboration between member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other nations in the broader Indo-Pacific region.
“In the broader international arena, this entails an even more active leadership by middle powers that have the capacity to reach across political and ideological lines, forge genuine consensus, and lead credible efforts towards decisive multilateral solutions.”
The President’s speech capped the New Delhi leg of his state visit, where he met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, as well as key business leaders.
The Delhi stint also saw the Philippines and India formally elevate bilateral ties into a Strategic Partnership, marked by the signing of various agreements on defense, maritime cooperation, health, culture and tourism, space research, and digital technology among others.
On Thursday, Marcos and his delegation departed for Bengaluru, where he is expected to attend business engagements in India’s “Garden City” and “Silicon Valley” to advance the Philippines’ economic agenda.
-jpv
