(UPDATES) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will assert the Philippines’ sovereignty over its territorial waters when he joins the 44th and 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Vientiane, Laos, next week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.
During a pre-departure briefing in Malacañang, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu said Marcos is expected to take up with fellow world leaders the recent developments in the West Philippine Sea.
Increasingly aggressive action by China in the West Philippine Sea has escalated tensions between Manila and Beijing.
Espiritu said Marcos never failed to raise the issue at every Asean summit that he had attended in the past years.
He said the leaders of the regional bloc are expected to discuss matters of common concern and provide policy directions for the Asean community in the future.
He said the President would emphasize his strong commitment to upholding the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling on the South China Sea, as he defends the Philippine territory from any foreign powers.
The Philippines remains optimistic about reaching an agreement on a binding Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, Espiritu said.
“The desire to conclude that (COC) as soon as possible is always there. In fact, during the last summit and in the subsequent meetings, there has been this thrust to possibly conclude it in three years as a part of the initiative of Indonesia and the other members,” he said.
Asean has “been working on the COC for the past 20 years, so let’s see,” he added.
China has been engaging with Asean in drawing up the code that would ease tensions in the strategic waterway.
In the meantime, it has been militarizing reefs and conducting activities within the exclusive economic zones of several Asean members, including the Philippines.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Its claim overlaps with that of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
China bases its claim on its “nine-dash line” doctrine that has been invalidated by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016.
Beijing refuses to recognize the Hague ruling.
During the October 9 to 11 summit, Espiritu said Marcos would participate in 16 leaders-led engagements.
“He will highlight our advocacies in connectivity and resilience, especially in strengthening the digital economy, supporting MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), the promotion of renewable energy development, and addressing the impacts of climate change, among others,” he added.
On October 8, Marcos will meet with around 400 members of the Filipino community in Laos.
Bilateral meetings with the leaders of Canada, New Zealand, Vietnam and Japan are also possible, Espiritu said.
Marcos will also attend business meetings, including one with TikTok executives, creators and sellers.
“This will be an excellent opportunity to promote cooperation in Asean and for us to get markets for trade and investments in the Philippines,” Espiritu said.
Marcos will also join the Second Asia Zero Emission Community Leaders’ Meeting, a sideline event of the summit, which tackles the decarbonization of Asean economies.
This meeting is a follow-up to the conference in Tokyo, Japan, in December 2023.
Also up for discussion are growing concerns in Myanmar, Ukraine, the Korean peninsula, Gaza, and other geopolitical challenges affecting the Indo-Pacific region.
Espiritu said the Gaza conflict is one of the “important topics” the leaders will discuss next week. A joint statement on the issue is under negotiation.
Espiritu said that another issue that the leaders will discuss is human trafficking, which he said is a common concern within Asean.
He said this will be reflected in many of the 82 outcome documents expected from the summit.
“We push for all issues within the inter gamut of political security, economic and sociocultural cooperation, including climate action and biodiversity management,” he said.
On October 9, the President will join the summit’s opening ceremony, followed by the 44th Asean Summit Plenary Session.
He will also attend the 45th Asean Summit Retreat Session, where leaders will discuss regional and international issues.
Marcos will have interfaces with Asean sectoral bodies: the Interparliamentary Assembly, the Asean Business Advisory Council, and the Asean Youth.
On October 10, Marcos will attend several Asean+1 summits with its global partners.
Espiritu said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will represent US President Joseph Biden at the summit, while Chinese President Xi Jinping will be represented by Premier Li Qiang.
In a related development, the armies of five Asean countries agreed on Friday to foster strong relations amid the increasingly complex security environment in the Indo-Pacific.
An agreement for a cohesive defense and security strategy was reached during the inaugural Korean-Asean Armies Chief Conference (KACC) in Daejeon, South Korea, last Wednesday.
Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido attended the conference along with South Korean Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su; Malaysian army chief Gen. Muhammad Hafizuddeain bin Jantan; Cambodian army chief Gen. Mao Sophan; and Deputy Commander in Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnamese army, Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Van Nghia.
Philippine Army (PA) Public Affairs chief Col. Louie Dema-Ala said in a statement the PA and the South Korean army held high-level dialogues.
The Philippine Army will host next year the 2nd Philippine Army-Republic of Korean Army (ROKA) Staff Talks.
On Thursday, the Doshin-Bayanihan 2024, a bilateral training exercise between the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and the Japan Self-Defense Force (JASDF), kicked off at the General Benito N Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
PAF Public Affairs head Col. Ma Consuelo Castillo said that during the opening ceremony, Col. Reynaldo Jose Montoya, the exercise director, said the exchanges will significantly enhance the capabilities of and camaraderie between both air forces.
The JASDF delegation, led by Ltc. Shotaro Arai of the 1st Tactical Airlift Wing, made a courtesy call on Maj. Gen. Joannis Leonardi Dimaano, commander of the PAF Air Mobility Command.
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