President Marcos says he is in favor of a peaceful resolution, but refuses to be intimidated after the Navy’s confrontation with China.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said his country does not aim to instigate wars but “will not be intimidated” by anyone following a violent clash between the Philippine Navy and China’s Coast Guard in the South China Sea.
“In defending the nation, we remain true to our Filipino nature that we would like to resolve all these issues peacefully,” Marcos said in a speech during a Sunday visit to the headquarters of the Philippine South China Sea forces on the island of Palawan .
Marcos awarded medals to 80 sailors who participated in the resupply mission, urging them to “continue to fulfill their duty to defend the nation” even though, he said, the situation had become “dangerous.”
“We will never be intimidated or oppressed by anyone,” said Marcos, who did not mention China by name in his speech. He promised to “continue to exercise our freedoms and rights in support of our national interest, in accordance with international law.”
Chinese officials in Manila and Beijing did not immediately comment on Marcos’ remarks.
The violent clash that occurred on Monday near Second Thomas Shoal – about 200 km (120 miles) from Palawan and more than 1,000 km (621 miles) from China’s nearest major land mass – saw Chinese forces injuring Philippine navy personnel and damaging at least two military boats with machetes, axes and hammers in the disputed South China Sea.
A Philippine sailor lost a thumb in the clash, with Manila also accusing Chinese coast guard sailors of stealing or damaging their equipment, including weapons and inflatable boats.
Beijing insisted its coast guard behaved in a “professional and restrained” manner and blamed Manila for the clash.
Territorial disputes
This was the latest and most serious incident in a series of escalating clashes between Chinese and Philippine ships in recent months, as Beijing steps up efforts to assert its claims over almost all strategically located waterways.
The incident drew condemnation and alarm from the United States, the European Union, Japan, Australia and other Western and Asian nations, while China and the Philippines blamed each other for instigating it, raising concerns that the The US, which has a mutual defense pact with Manila, could be drawn into the dispute.
The Philippine government has said it does not consider Monday’s clash to be an “armed attack” that would trigger a provision in the treaty for Washington to come to Manila’s aid. However, it also said it was concerned about the launch of a similar attempt by Chinese forces to dislodge a small Philippine military garrison on Second Thomas Shoal.
The territorial disputes, involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, have long been seen as a flashpoint that could pit the US against China if the high seas clashes escalate into conflict. armed. Washington has repeatedly warned that it is obliged to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Philippine forces are attacked, including in the South China Sea.
Beijing enacted new regulations last week to enforce a 2021 law that allows its coast guard to use lethal force against foreign ships in claimed waters.
The coast guard can also detain suspected trespassers for up to 60 days without trial.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
