MANILA, Philippines — Tensions caused by incidents and aggressive actions inconsistent with the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) are not conducive to promoting peace and stability, the Philippines’ top diplomat said.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo called for the preservation and strengthening of multilateralism and a rules-based order amid the difficulties posed by post-pandemic recovery, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and escalating strategic rivalry between the United States and China, at the 59th Munich Security Conference (MSC) held from Feb. 17 to 19 in Munich, Germany.
The secretary was a lead discussant in an exclusive roundtable event and speaker at a main stage panel discussion at the MSC.
At the roundtable discussion on “Bridging Troubled Waters – Mapping Escalation Potential in the Indo Pacific Region” on Friday, Manalo reiterated the Philippines’ firm resolve to address the West Philippine Sea (WPS)/South China Sea issue through peaceful and legal means.
“Rival claims can only be solved peacefully by adhering to peaceful and rules-based approaches,” Manalo said
He emphasized that “The Philippine approach, articulated long before and formalized in the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes, enjoys the support of the international community.”
The Philippines lodged a diplomatic protest with the Chinese government last week following an incident in which a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel pointed a military-grade laser at a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship on a resupply mission at Ayungin Shoal, temporarily blinding some its crew.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) sent a strongly worded diplomatic protest to the Chinese embassy, condemning the “shadowing, harassment, dangerous maneuvers, directing of military-grade laser, and illegal radio challenges by CCG vessel 5205 against PCG vessel BRP Malapascua on 6 February 2023.”
The DFA said the actions by the China’s coast guard against the PCG vessel “constituted a threat to Philippine sovereignty and security as a state, and are infringements of its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its exclusive economic zone.”
These acts of aggression by China, the DFA said, are “disturbing and disappointing” as it came after the state visit to China of President Marcos in early January, during which he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed “to manage maritime differences through diplomacy and dialogue, without resorting to force and intimidation.”
Despite China’s laser use against the Philippine ship, Beijing described the overall situation in Ayungin Shoal as “calm,” highlighting the “professional” and “restrained” action of its coast guard.
At the main stage panel discussion titled “Defending the UN Charter and the Rules-Based International Order” on Saturday, Manalo stated that the Philippines has consistently advocated a rules-based international order and that the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea vindicated the Philippines’ position that China’s nine-dash line is incompatible with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He cited the broad support within the international community for the 2016 Arbitral Award as a mooring for a rules-based maritime regime in the South China Sea.
Manalo stressed that the United Nations could have a bigger role in putting to fore the importance of adhering to the rule of law in the maritime domain.
source: philstar
