Philippines Prez Marcos Lambasts China During India Visit

<p>Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, President of the Philippines, Wednesday lambasted China for its &ldquo;illegal and unlawful&rdquo; activities in the South China Sea even as the navies of both India and the Philippines concluded a joint patrolling exercise in the disputed maritime region.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Safe navigation and security are important, especially for Filipino and India seafarers who are on almost every ship plying these historic and strategic routes (of the Indo-Pacific),&rdquo; President Marcos said in his public address organised by the Observer Research Foundation during his ongoing visit to India.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Marcos, who will be embarking on a visit to Bengaluru on Thursday to understand India&rsquo;s high-tech defence technologies landscape, also said, &ldquo;Just yesterday (Tuesday) a flotilla of three ships of India&rsquo;s Eastern Naval Command, including the guided-missile destroyer INS Delhi, accompanied by tanker INS Shakti and Corvette INS Kirpan, joined two frigates &ndash; BRP Miguel Malvar and BRP Jose Rizal &ndash; from the Philippines and completed their first maritime cooperative activities in the South China Sea and in the West Philippine Sea.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>This naval drill, which took place near the Scarborough Shoal, is significant as it marks the first time the two countries have conducted such a manoeuvre together in the disputed waters.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The exercise coincided with the Philippine President&rsquo;s visit to India, which was primarily aimed at strengthening maritime ties.&nbsp;</p>
<p>China has vehemently criticised the drills, accusing the Philippines of involving a &ldquo;third country&rdquo; in exercises that disrupt regional peace.</p>
<p>In a clear threat to Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea maritime domain, the Filipino President said, &ldquo;It (joint naval drill) attests to our shared determination to work for a greater good in a way that protect our trade and our prosperity, our freedoms and our heritage for future generations.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Earlier this week, the Philippine Chief of Staff, Romeo Brawner Jr, said the exercise took place inside their exclusive economic zone where China has no right to intervene.</p>
<p>India continues to support the Arbitral Tribunal’s ruling on the South China Sea dispute, which favoured the Philippines, and emphasised the peaceful resolution of disputes based on international law, specifically the UNCLOS.&nbsp;</p>
<p>While not directly involved in the case, India has consistently voiced its support for upholding UNCLOS and the 2016 ruling, highlighting the importance of freedom of navigation and unimpeded commerce in the region.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The complex issues of competing claims in the South China Sea have for years been unfortunately and simplistically reduced to the South China Sea dispute as if claims were all equal. They are not,&rdquo; said President Marcos while highlighting the 2016 ruling.&nbsp;</p>
<p>He added, &ldquo;The assertion of littoral states has to pass the test of conformity with international law, particularly the UNCLOS and definitive binding and interpretations such as the 2016 arbitral award.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Such misinformation or inaccurate narratives distract us from calling out illegal and unlawful actions for what they are &ndash; violations of international law.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Without naming China, he said, &ldquo;There are those who seek to discredit international legal proceedings and dismiss binding rulings to cloak opaque claims with a semblance of legitimacy.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>He said, therefore, countries like India and the Philippines should act closely in defending a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.</p>
<p>India and the Philippines on Tuesday took their bilateral relationship to the level of Strategic Partnership.</p>
<p><strong><em>Nayanima Basu is a senior independent journalist.</em></strong></p>