Respect international law in South China Sea, Philippine leader says after series of clashes
- Ferdinand Marcos Jnr told the Shangri-La Dialogue that Manila would ‘do whatever it takes to protect our sovereign home’
- Comments follow a series of clashes between Chinese and Philippine coastguard vessels, and Marcos said any fatalities would be ‘very close’ to an act of war
Recently there have been collisions between coastguard vessels from the two countries while China has used water cannon against Philippine vessels.
In his speech, Marcos stressed the importance of upholding international law in asserting Manila’s claims in the South China Sea and referred to a “binding” 2016 international tribunal ruling that rejected Beijing’s territorial claims.
He said Manila is on the “front lines of efforts to assert the integrity of the rules as a constitution of the oceans” in the South China Sea.
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“We will find the strength to do whatever it takes to protect our sovereign home to the last square inch, to the last square millimetre,” he added.
