Czech backs PH on sea issues

Marcos says ‘not out to win any conflict’ in SCS, just wants to keep peace

Prague—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Philippines is not out to “win any conflict” in the South China Sea as he secured the support of the Czech Republic for a rules-based maritime order.

Mr. Marcos, in a joint press conference with Czech Republic President Petr Pavel, said Manila only aims “to maintain the peace and also tocontinue to defend the sovereignty and the sovereign rights of the Philippines.”

In a separate interview with reporters yesterday evening, the President said: “I don’t recall any instance where the Philippines has instigated anything, at any point, both verbally, or militarily, or diplomatically.”

“We did not begin all of these problems…All of these commotions were not caused by the Philippines. So, I don’t know what they are referring to” he added.

Asked if a possible joint exploration with China was possible after Beijing’s recent discovery of a 100-million-ton oilfield in the South China Sea, Mr. Marcos gave out a hearty laugh.

“Well, once again the sovereignty and the sovereign rights and our territorial jurisdictions remains a key in all of these talks and we cannot at any point somehow compromise the territorial integrity of the Philippines,” the President said.

The President’s remarks came after Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin denied China was claiming the entire SouthChina Sea and accused the Philippines of muddling the issue.

“China never claimed that the whole of the South China Sea belongs to China,” Wang said.

“The Philippine side accuses China of claiming all waters inside the dotted line as territory. It is not in line with the facts and is a deliberate distortion of China’s position,” he added.

China has insisted on its massive claims over most of the South China Sea through a “nine-dash-line” which eventually evolved into a “ten-dash-line” that loops as far as 1,500 km south of its mainland, cutting into the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

It has likewise rejected a 2016 ruling rendered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration which invalidated its nine-dash-line claim and upheld the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.

China’s incursions in the West Philippine Sea will also be high on the agenda during Mr. Marcos’ meeting with US State Secretary Antony Blinken in Manila next week.

The meeting will also focus on strengthening economic resiliency as a component of national security, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

The US top diplomat will be in Manila from March 18 to 19 and will meet with the President and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

In Prague, Mr. Marcos said he briefed Pavel on the situation in the West Philippine Sea.

“I underscored that the Philippine position on the South China Sea remains consistent, clear, and firmly anchored in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).” the President said.

“I thank President Pavel for the Czech Republic’s support as a like-minded partner, in upholding peace, stability, and the rules-based international order,” he added.

Pavel echoed Mr. Marcos’ sentiment on the need to adhere to international maritime laws.

“We fully support the Philippines when it comes to their entitlementt o free movement of goods… because that’s a principle that not only we all respect but it also secures global and regional stability,” Pavel said.

Mr. Marcos, during his working visit in Berlin, said China’s“expansive claim on its ten-dash-line” was unacceptable, making it impossible for Manila to accept Beijing’s proposals on how to resolvetensions in the South China Sea.

”We have not rejected any proposals that China has made for us but the premise is something that we question,” Marcos said.

“That premise that China has made is that their territory follows what is now called the ten-dash line. This is not recognized by any country, any international body, certainly not by the Philippines,”he added.

For his part, Speaker Martin Romualdez on Friday lauded the President for bolstering the country’s position on the West Philippine Sea.

“The exceptional diplomatic efforts of President Marcos paid off with the expression of full support of President Pavel to the stance of the Philippines in defense of our right and sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea,” said Romualdez.

“Support from countries like the Czech Republic significantly reinforces the Philippine position and amplifies the international voice dismissing China’s sweeping claims over the area. It could also help promote a rules-based approach to resolving maritime disputes by international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” he added.

— Charles Dantes with Rey Requejo and Maricel Cruz