President Marcos, Blinken to discuss peace, stability in South China Sea

MANILA, Philippines — Maintaining peace and stability in the disputed South China Sea (SCS) to ensure unhampered global trade will be one of the key issues expected to be raised during the meeting of President Marcos and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Manila tomorrow.

Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Manila today, his second visit to the country since August 2022.

At a joint press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel in Prague on Thursday, Marcos said, “all of these discussions are, really, as far as the Philippines is concerned, it is concerned with the maintenance of peace in the South China Sea.”

He said the SCS issue is not only vital for countries that surround the Indo-Pacific region, such as the member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but also for international trade.

“Because this… safe navigation and passage (in) the South China Sea is important to international trade, as close to 60 percent of international trade goes to that channel and we hope to continue these discussions,” Marcos said, referring to his meeting with the US official.

The President stressed that the Philippines’ move to strengthen defense ties with its allies, including the US and Japan, was not aimed at “winning” any conflict, but to maintain the peace and to “continue to defend the sovereignty and the sovereign rights of the Philippines.”

Blinken’s visit comes amid escalating tensions between the Philippines and China over the West Philippine Sea.

Recently, China Coast Guard and maritime militia launched aggressive actions against a routine resupply mission for Filipino troops in Ayungin Shoal that injured four Filipino crew members.

The US denounced the repeated dangerous actions by China in the SCS.

In a statement on March 14, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the “broadening and deepening of cooperation in the economic sphere” will be high on the agenda during Marcos’ and Blinken’s meeting.

“Discussions will highlight efforts to promote trade and investments and a common resolve to sustain economic resiliency as an essential component of national security. The two secretaries are also anticipated to discuss overall bilateral cooperation in the context of regional issues,” the DFA said, referring to Blinken and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

Matthew Miller, US State Department spokesperson, said at a recent briefing that Blinken’s visit to Manila seeks “to advance shared economic priorities and underscore the United States’ ironclad commitment to the US-Philippine alliance.”

He said Blinken would discuss with Marcos and Manalo areas to deepen the US-Philippine cooperation “on a range of bilateral and global issues, including on regional peace and stability, human rights and democracy, economic prosperity, health, clean energy, semiconductors, and the digital economy.”

Blinken’s visit to Manila will take place only a few days after the visit of the US Presidential Trade and Investment Mission to the Philippines led by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

“The Secretary’s visit will also underscore the importance of our strong bilateral ties which, for 75 years, have been critical to advancing our shared vision for a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific region,” Miller stated.

DFA slams China

Meanwhile, the DFA slammed yesterday the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s statement on historic rights and sweeping claims of China on the SCS, calling it “baseless” and “misleading.”

In a statement, the DFA said “the Philippines maintains a firm stand against misguided claims and irresponsible actions that violate Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in its own maritime domain.”

“The Philippines has never used the South China Sea issue to heighten tensions, mislead the international community, or undermine peace and stability in the region,” the DFA said. — Pia Lee-Brago