Manila wants a rules-based order, peaceful resolution of conflicts at the UN

MANILA’s high representative in his speech before the United Nations (UNGA) pushed for a peaceful and harmonious resolution of territorial conflicts, especially in the South China Sea, citing the importance of maintaining international law based on rules.

“Despite the irresponsible and dangerous actions against our legitimate activities in our waters and Exclusive Economic Zone, the Philippines remains committed to dialogue and other peaceful means of resolving disputes,” Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique A. Manalo told the Council, according to a copy of his September 29 speech, which was sent to reporters via WhatsApp on Sunday.

“We will adhere to the UN Charter and the Manila Declaration for the peaceful settlement of disputes in asserting our sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the South China Sea.”

China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a Viber message seeking comment.

The Philippines and China have resumed consultations on how to ease tensions in the waters, as both sides insist on asserting their rights to dominate features in the South China Sea.

Manila and Beijing traded accusations of deliberately colliding with each other’s ships in a series of skirmishes last month, shortly after reaching an agreement to resupply a Philippine naval vessel beached at Second Thomas Shoal.

Mr. Manalo previously said that Manila does not want to join China and the international community in escalating territorial disputes in the main UN policy-making process.

China’s Foreign Ministry said Manila and its allies meeting in Beijing would only fuel tensions and destabilize the region.

“We do not accept the narratives that present the South China Sea as a theater of great power rivalry because they all ignore an important fact: all states in the region have the right to determine their future and protect their future,” said Manila’s Foreign. The Press Secretary said in his speech.

Tensions between the Philippines and China have worsened over the past year as Beijing continues to block shipping at Second Thomas Shoal, where Manila has a number of military personnel stationed on the beach.

China and Russia have also criticized the US move to keep its Typhoon missile system in the Philippines as it risks fueling an arms race in the region.

Reuters reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the US deployment of intermediate-range missiles to the Philippines “undermines regional peace and stability.”

Mr. Wang said the deployment “is not in the interests of regional countries.”

The US military flew the Typhoon, capable of launching missiles consisting of SM-6 missiles and Tomahawks with a range of more than 1,600 kilometers (994 miles), to the Philippines in April in what it called a “historic first” and “an important step in O.your cooperation with the Philippines.”

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Gerardo C. Teodoro, Jr. he said Manila has the right to strengthen its deterrence position amid China’s aggression in the South China Sea. The Philippines is also open to acquiring the Typhoon midrange missile system, Agusan del Norte Rep. Jose “Joboy” S. Aquino II said last week, as he sponsored the 2025 budget of the Department of Defense.

The Philippines, which is Taiwan’s southern neighbor, which Beijing claims as its territory, is an important part of the US strategy in Asia and would be an important place for the military to help Taipei in the event of a Chinese attack.

Mr. Wang said that exchanges and cooperation between China and South Korea have become more active this year, Reuters reported.

Manila and Beijing on July 2 reached an “interim arrangement” for the Philippines to redeploy the Second Thomas Shoal, which the Philippines calls Ayungin.

The UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2016 dismissed China’s claim over the waterway as illegal. Beijing has ignored the decision.

About $3 billion worth of trade passes through the South China Sea every year, and it is believed to be rich in oil and natural gas, apart from fish.

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. he said in his third speech before Congress that his government will continue to find ways to reduce tensions in contested waters “without compromising our position and our principles.”

Mr. Manalo previously said that the Philippines is preparing to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, where it wants to revive its maritime dispute with China.

“The future of the Asia-Pacific is not shaped by one or two powers, but by all the regions there,” a senior official told the UN General Assembly. “ASEAN is an example of a regional agency working together to develop integrated approaches and solutions to today’s challenges.” – John Victor D. Ordoñez with Reuters