Tensions in the contested South China Sea are becoming “more dire” as Beijing expands its reclamation closer to Philippine water, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday.
While speaking to reporters in Honolulu on Nov. 20, Mr. Marcos said China has been increasing its presence in atolls and shoals that are closer to the Philippine coast, with the nearest atoll being about 111 kilometers away.
“Unfortunately, I cannot report that the situation is improving,” the Philippine president said after delivering a talk at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu.
“The situation has become more dire than it was before,” he added. But Mr. Marcos affirmed that his country will not concede even “a single square inch” of its territory to any foreign power.
Mr. Marcos warned that features in the South China Sea are “slowly being turned into bases.” He said Adm. John Aquilino, the top U.S. military commander in the Indo-Pacific region, showed him a model of one during their meeting earlier in the day.
The level of commitment China made “to those military bases” was “remarkable,” Mr. Marcos said.
He made the remarks after meeting with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, California, on Nov. 18.
Mr. Marcos said he conveyed to Mr. Xi his concern about previous encounters between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, including one collision, and the plight of Filipino fishermen.
Both sides agreed to find ways to ease tensions in the South China Sea and ensure that their fishermen can safely “fish together” in the disputed water, he stated, according to a state-run news agency.
“That’s essentially the message that we spoke of to each other,” Mr. Marcos said.
‘Nobody Wants to Go to War’
When asked if China will change its behavior following the leaders’ meeting, Mr. Marcos said that it’s still “a work in progress.”However, he emphasized that the territorial dispute should not define the Philippine-China relationship.
“We have to continue to communicate. We have to continue to be candid with one another and be sincere in our desire for peace. I think that sincerity exists for both parties involved.
“I do not think anybody wants to go to war,” he added.
Mr. Marcos also met with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on the sidelines of the APEC summit on Nov. 16 and discussed the situation in the South China Sea.
Vive President Harris affirmed that the United States “stands shoulder to shoulder” with its Philippine ally and reiterated that any attack on a Philippine vessel could trigger a mutual defense treaty.
Beijing has asserted territorial claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, including reefs and islands that overlap with the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
The Philippines’ position was recognized by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in a 2016 ruling. However, the Hague Tribunal’s ruling didn’t change the CCP’s behavior, with Chinese vessels repeatedly intruding on the Philippines’ maritime zones.
The most recent incident occurred on Nov. 10, when a Chinese Coast Guard ship blasted a water cannon toward a Philippine motorboat delivering supplies to troops stationed at Ayungin Shoal, also known as the Second Thomas Shoal.
In another incident, on Oct. 22, China’s ships separately blocked and then hit a Philippine Coast Guard vessel and a supply boat near the Second Thomas Shoal, prompting Manila to summon the Chinese envoy in response.
