FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Vatican Foreign Minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher yesterday agreed that conflicts such as the maritime territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea should be resolved peacefully.
Manalo and Gallagher met yesterday as part of the activities of the visiting Vatican official.
It was the first visit to Manila by a Vatican foreign minister in 75 years of relations between the Holy See and the Philippines.
Gallagher said every effort must be made to resolve any differences peacefully.
“We encourage parties in conflict to abide by international law,” Gallagher told reporters during a joint briefing with Manalo.
“We both share the same concern that all conflicts should be resolved peacefully on the basis of the rule of international law,” Manalo said.
Among issues they discussed were the tension in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Ukraine war, and the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza.
Manalo said he and Gallagher also agreed that the international community must be united in resolving conflicts and differences without resort to the use of force.
The Philippines is embroiled in an increasingly confrontational dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea. On June 17, a Filipino sailor lost his thumb after Chinese Coast Guard vessels rammed a Philippine boat on resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal.
Manalo said he and Gallagher also discussed migration governance, climate change and climate resilience, and a proposed agreement on higher education between the Commission on Higher Education and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education.
TALKS
Gallagher’s visit comes as talks are underway between Manila and Beijing to manage their tensions in the South China Sea, which Manalo said he hoped would result in confidence-building measures to manage tensions.
Manila is hosting the latest round of talks between the two countries under a bilateral consultation mechanism, a format to specifically address South China Sea disputes.
In January last year, President Marcos and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to establish a “direct communication mechanism” to prevent possible miscommunication on the dispute.
The agreement, which was made during Marcos’ official state visit to China, states that a communication line would be opened between the Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office of the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including portions claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China’s claims had no legal basis.
Manila has sought for wider international support on its maritime claims, seeking closer ties with countries to advocate for a rules-based order that recognizes international law. China and the Philippines have recently accused each other of raising tensions in disputed shoals and reefs in the WPS.
Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesperson on South China Sea matters, told a briefing that the Chinese Coast Guard’s actions against Philippine vessels carrying out a routine resupply mission in Second Thomas Shoal were the “most aggressive” in recent history.
Trinidad described the Chinese Coast Guard maneuvers as “deliberate, planned and escalatory.”
CHINESE VESSELS
The number of Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels in the WPS has substantially decreased, the Philippine Navy said yesterday.
Data provided by the PN showed that from 129 Chinese vessels in the WPS from June 18 to 24, the number has decreased to 95 by July 1.
The largest concentration of Chinese vessels was near Pag asa island, with 37 vessels from June 18 to 24, with the number declining to 22 by July 1.
Twelve other Chinese coast guard vessels, five PLAN warships and 56 maritime militia vessels were also recorded in seven maritime features in the West Philippine Sea.
“We don’t want to speculate on the reduction but suffice it to say that we have monitored a reduction on a week-to-week basis of our monitoring,” Trinidad said. — With Reuters
