South China Sea: Marcos says Philippines will not cede ‘one square inch’ of territory

Marcos told Australia’s parliament that protecting the South China Sea was ‘crucial to the preservation of regional and global peace’
The president also vowed to firmly defend Manila’s sovereignty amid maritime disputes with Beijing

The Philippines

Reuters

Published: 9:18am, 29 Feb 2024

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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr told the Australian parliament on Thursday he would not allow any foreign power to take “one square inch” of the country’s territory, and that Manila was firm in defending its sovereignty.

Australia and the Philippines began their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea in November, aimed at countering an increasingly assertive China, which claims the entire sea as its own.

“I will not allow any attempt by any foreign power to take even one square inch of our sovereign territory,” Marcos said in the address.

“The challenges that we face may be formidable, but equally formidable is our resolve. We will not yield.”

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The South China Sea is a conduit for more than US$3 trillion worth of ship-borne commerce each year, and is a major source of tension between the Philippines and China.

Manila accuses Beijing of committing aggressive acts inside its exclusive economic zone (EEZ); an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague said in 2016 that China’s claims inside the Philippines’ EEZ had no legal basis – a decision Beijing has rejected. China has chided the Philippines for encroaching on what it says is its territory.

Protecting the area is important to global stability, Marcos said on Thursday.

“The protection of the South China Sea as a vital, critical global artery is crucial to the preservation of regional peace and, I dare say, of global peace,” he said. “We have an abiding interest in keeping our seas free and open, and in ensuring unimpeded passage and freedom of navigation.”

The Philippines and other countries – backed by the United States – have argued the waterway should be free and open.

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‘We will not yield’: Marcos Jnr says Manila will not give up ‘one square inch’ of South China Sea

China has rapidly grown its naval forces in recent years, and snatched vast tracts of maritime territory, hoping to project its military and political power well beyond the country’s shores.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed the Philippines as a “strategic partner” on Thursday.

Albanese said the two countries signed a deal on “enhanced maritime cooperation” and vowed to “collaborate even more closely to promote our shared vision for the region”.

There was a brief interruption early in Marcos’ speech to parliament, when Australian Greens Senator Janet Rice held up a sign reading “Stop the Human Rights Abuses.” Shortly afterwards, she was escorted from the chamber.

Marcos is in Australia on an official visit, before he attends a special summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Melbourne next week.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse