THE Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday said the recent statement of Quad foreign ministers raising concerns about “dangerous and provocative actions” in the South China Sea shows the strong objection of the international community to the actions and underscores the need to adhere to international laws and regulations.
The July 1 statement was released following the Indo-Pacific Quad Meeting in Washington D.C. among US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi, and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Australia, India, Japan, and the United States make up the Quad diplomatic partnership that is committed to supporting a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
While the statement did not name China as the aggressive party, it said the Quad strongly opposes any unilateral action that seek to change the status quo in the East China Sea and South China Sea.
Manila has filed numerous diplomatic protests against Beijing’s aggressive activities in the region, including the part of South China Sea called the West Philippine Sea. It has also called on Beijing to honor the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration that junked the latter’s excessive claim in the South China Sea under its so-called nine dash line.
“Their statement demonstrates the strong objection by the international community against such illegal, aggressive, coercive and deceptive actions in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea,” the DFA said.
“We highly appreciate the Quad Foreign Ministers unequivocal support for the final and valid 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, further cementing its status as an unassailable part of the corpus of international law,” it added.
The DFA said by highlighting the “continuing dangerous and provocative actions, and the use of force and coercion” in the South China Sea, the Quad Foreign Ministers kept focus on the incidents that the Philippines has regularly contended with in the West Philippine Sea.
The DFA also welcomed the Quad’s commitment “to build capacities across the Indo-Pacific region, especially on maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technology, and support for humanitarian assistance and emergency response.”
Despite China’s aggressive activities in the said waters, the DFA said Manila “will continue to uphold the rules-based order governed by international law, particularly UNCLOS, and will continue to prioritize effective diplomacy and the constructive management of differences in addressing the situation at sea.”
This, the DFA added, is meant to maintain regional peace and stability in the South China Sea and in the wider Indo-Pacific region.
