PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday said respect for the Philippines’ “sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction is, and has always been and will always be, non-negotiable” amid the threat the country faces in the South China Sea.
The President did not name China but Chinese vessels have been harassing and bullying Filipino ships and fishermen in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, overlapping the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Unresolved disputes have festered for years over ownership of various islands and features.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled that China’s sweeping claims in the region were not supported by international law, a decision that Beijing rejects.
“Today, the most significant threat to the peace and stability we strive for is right here in our own neighbor
