Over half of Asean states back South China Sea joint patrols – President Marcos

VIENTIANE — More than half of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have offered to support the Philippines in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea, including in joint patrols and exercises, President Marcos said yesterday.

Speaking to the Philippine media delegation on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit here, Marcos said the country received “many offers of help” from other countries. He declined to give specifics, saying he did not want to put them on the spot. But he said they represent more than half of the bloc.

“They say if that is the problem, ‘maybe we could do this,’ ‘maybe our country can send vessels,’ ‘maybe we can have joint operations,’ ‘maybe we can have discussions,’ ‘maybe I can serve as an interlocutor,’ ” the President said.

“These (are) offers of joint exercises, of continued discussions on how we can keep the South China Sea a peaceful and prosperous area of commerce, to maintain the peace, to maintain the freedom of navigation,” he said.

Marcos stressed the importance of consistency in bringing up the matter before international conferences such as the ASEAN Summit. Aside from the Philippines, ASEAN member-states with claims in the South China Sea are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

He said ASEAN countries as well as dialogue partners, including the European Union and the US, have talked to the Philippines and acknowledged that much can be done or explored to ensure stability in the waterway through which about $3 trillion or 21 percent of the global trade passes annually.