South China Sea: Philippines’ Marcos denies stirring up conflict, ‘poking the bear’ with Beijing

‘We are trying to keep things on an even keel,’ the president said, but ‘since the threat has grown, we must do more to defend our territory’

In an interview, Marcos denied instigating ‘any kind of conflict’, adding that he hopes ‘the time never comes’ that he has to invoke US mutual defence

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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr pictured in Manila on Tuesday. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 1:37pm, 20 Mar 2024Updated: 2:20pm, 20 Mar 2024

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said the threat to his nation from Beijing’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea is growing but argued that his government’s efforts to assert sovereignty over disputed areas aren’t meant to start a conflict by “poking the bear”.

“We are trying to keep things on an even keel,” Marcos said on Tuesday in an interview at the presidential palace in Manila. The challenge, he added, is that “since the threat has grown, we must do more to defend our territory”.

Along with Taiwan, the stand-off between the Philippines and Beijing over a series of contested reefs and islands has become a critical flashpoint in the region. Since Marcos took office in 2022, the Philippine military and coastguard have ramped up operations to supply troops at a remote outpost and escort fishermen he says have relied on the waters “for generations”.

A Philippine resupply vessel is hit by water cannons from a Chinese coastguard ship on March 5 in this photo provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines/ via AP

That stance has sparked condemnation from Beijing, whose armada of fishing boats and coastguard vessels have often blocked Philippine ships and even collided with them, raising the risk of a conflict with China that could quickly draw in the US.

“We have not instigated any kind of conflict. We have not instigated any kind of confrontation,” Marcos, 66, said of his government’s policies. “We are just trying to feed our people.”

But, he added, “China has taken some very aggressive actions against our coastguard.”

During a trip to deliver supplies to its outpost on the Second Thomas Shoal this month, Manila said four Filipino sailors were injured after two Chinese coastguard vessels blasted water cannons at their chartered boat.