South China Sea row affects Philippine interests and is not solely a US-China issue, Marcos Jnr says
- Marcos Jnr says ‘misleading narratives’ deny the Philippines its independence and agency, and disregard its legitimate interests
- But expecting unity from Asean on the South China Sea remains a long-standing challenge, with some members reluctant to take a stronger stance, analysts note
Marcos Jnr said the conflict in the resource-rich waterway was not just a competition between two nations.
“The Philippines firmly rejects misleading narratives that frame the disputes in the South China Sea solely through the lens of strategic competition between two powerful countries,” he said during his intervention following Widodo’s remarks. “This not only denies us of our independence and agency, but also disregards our own legitimate interests.”
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Beijing faces backlash from neighbours over expanded territorial claims in new official map
This week’s meeting included a conference among the grouping’s national leaders as well as a separate set of so-called Asean Plus One meetings with major trading partners; a meeting with China, Japan and South Korea called Asean Plus Three; and a broader summit featuring most of the world’s major powers called the East Asia Summit.