Marcos calls for decisive action on SCS

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 ------ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called once again for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to take decisive action and adopt a legally binding code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea. "This is to safeguard maritime rights, promote stability, and prevent miscalculations at sea," Marcos said in his speech during the regional bloc's leaders' plenary session at the opening of the 46th Asean Summit and Related Meetings here.

The Philippines is one of the four member-states with overlapping territorial claims over islands, reefs and surrounding waters, the other three being Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam. Non-Asean parties involved in the fray are China and Taiwan.

The country is looking to finalize the accord by the time it hosts the next edition of the summit in Manila next year. The dispute centers on sovereignty over specific features like the Spratlys and Paracel Islands, Scarborough Shoal, and maritime zones. Before departing for Malaysia, Marcos expressed his desire for the Philippines to have a peaceful resolution to the territorial rift, especially with China. Tensions between both countries have steadily been escalating, with the Philippines condemning China's aggressive actions in the contested waterway, such as water cannon attacks and shadowing of vessels.

Meanwhile, Marcos urged the Asean to acknowledge the growing complexity of challenges being faced by the regional bloc. "Geopolitical tensions, unexpected trade barriers, and the unprecedented impact of climate change have the potential to disrupt our communities, supply chains, and remove our hard-earned progress," he said. "Yet, by working together, strengthening our institutions, and building the resilience and capacities of our people, we can better navigate this increasingly uncertain future and turn challenges into opportunities for shared growth and stability. Effective responses to transnational crime require robust cooperation, timely intelligence sharing, and strengthened law enforcement," he added.

The chief executive likewise urged the Asean to further ramp up initiatives in addressing climate change, which he tagged as "the most defining and cross-cutting challenge of our time." "As one of the most climate-vulnerable regions globally, nearly half of the entire Asean population faces significant climate-related risks. As the host of the Board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, the Philippines will continue to advocate for scientific and evidence-based, investment-led, and transformative solutions to the climate crisis," he said. "In this regard, we urge Asean's partners to scale up predictable, accessible and adequate climate finance to enable Asean to realize its climate ambitions and safeguard the future of our communities. We also call for deeper regional cooperation to address these emerging and transboundary challenges," he added.

On the economic front, the president threw his support behind the "non-retaliatory" stand of the Asean with regards to the United States government's tariff policy. ''We commend Malaysia's leadership in convening this special Asean Economic Ministers' Meeting and welcome the consensus to avoid retaliatory measures. This measured and unified approach upholds Asean's commitment to dialogue, diplomacy and a rules-based multilateral trading system,'' he said. His remarks were in reaction to the just-concluded Asean Economic Community Council Meeting, where one of the focal discussions was the tariff policy set by US President Donald Trump.

This, council chairman Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz noted, prodded the regional bloc to collectively understand, adapt to and strategically engage with the trade shifts. Instead of retaliation, the Asean has chosen to engage in dialogue and cooperation with a clear commitment among member-states "to not impose retaliatory measures," emphasizing that open communication is the "key to a balanced and sustainable relationship."

US President Donald Trump, upon his return to the White House, announced his administration would be imposing additional tariffs on more than 100 trade partners. The American government last April 2 moved to suspend its new tariff schedule for 90 days. However, once in effect, the Philippines will bear the weight of an additional 17-percent tariff on goods exported to the United States — one of the lowest in the region. Earlier this month, trade representatives of the Marcos administration, led by Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Secretary Frederick Go, met with their US counterparts in Washington, D.C. to discuss next steps regarding the tariff issue.

Source: manilatimes.net