President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday maintained that he will continue defending the Philippines’ territory, particularly its maritime domain, amid China’s incursions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

In a media interview on the sidelines of his three-day working visit to Berlin, Germany, Marcos said there is nothing new with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent call on China’s armed forces to coordinate for possible military conflicts at sea.

Marcos said it has been China’s consistent policy for the last two or three years.

“That’s what they’ve been doing already. They have defined the 10-Dash line… and for our part continue to defend what we (have)…and the international community has recognized as our maritime territory,” he said.

“So, I’m not surprised, but we will have to continue to do what we can to defend our maritime territory in the face of perhaps a more active attempt by the Chinese to annex some of our territory,” Marcos added.

Marcos’ statement came after Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo confirmed that United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will meet with the President on March 19 to discuss cooperation and security matters.

Marcos expressed eagerness to hold a meeting with Blinken to formalize the trilateral cooperation among the Philippines, Japan, and the US amid the tensions in the WPS.

The Philippines has been intensifying its security cooperation with the US, Japan, as Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel and Filipino fishermen faced constant harassments from Chinese maritime forces.

During his bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Tuesday, Marcos emphasized the importance for “like-minded” countries to “present a united front against any unilateral attempts to take territory from any other country.”

He issued the statement as he discussed with Scholz the latest developments in the WPS.

Scholz, meanwhile, stressed the need to adhere to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling on the South China Sea, as well as ensure freedom of navigation in the disputed waters.

He also assured Marcos of Germany’s continued support and their commitment to increase maritime cooperation with the Philippines, including other cooperative endeavors between the two countries.

“So, we are willing to increase this, and all the other cooperation we are having,” Scholz told Marcos.

Marcos acknowledged Germany’s assistance in securing the country’s maritime domain, including through capacity-building of the PCG and trainings of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (PNA)

Photo credit: Facebook/armedforcesofthephilippines