Philippines’ Marcos Jr. promotes Indo-Pacific security relationships
FORUM Staff
Cooperation with Indo-Pacific Allies and Partners, especially the United States, is increasingly important as the Philippines faces incursions “closer and closer” to its coast, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in mid-November 2023.
The situation “has become more dire,” Marcos said at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii. Progress on a South China Sea code of conduct between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been slow, so Manila is developing its own protocols while seeking bilateral agreements with states such as Malaysia and Vietnam that also have maritime territorial disputes.
The PRC claims most of the South China Sea, including territory within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), even though an international tribunal determined in 2016 that the assertion is invalid. Beijing has ignored the ruling, continuing to harass Philippine fishing crews and military personnel in the region. Without mentioning the PRC, Marcos said “coercive tactics and dangerous maneuvers” by a foreign coast guard and maritime militia are “putting the lives of our people at risk.”
“Tensions are growing,” he said, adding that the Philippines must elevate its partnerships and resources to meet shared objectives. “The Philippines will not give a single square inch of our territory to any foreign power.”
He said Manila’s unbreakable alliance with the U.S., its defense treaty partner for more than 72 years, remains the Philippines’ bedrock partnership. The nations’ armed forces continue enhancing coordination and capabilities “in the face of growing and evolving regional and global challenges to our security,” Marcos said.
Honolulu was the last leg of Marcos’ six-day, three-city visit to the U.S. It followed his participation at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, California. “We need to accelerate efforts to address structural and policy issues with the view of enabling rapid economic recovery and growth in a sustained manner that creates jobs, draws people into the mainstream economy, and reduces poverty and inequality,” Marcos said at the meeting with leaders of 21 regional economies, The Manila Times newspaper reported.
In Honolulu, Marcos highlighted a pact signed with the U.S. on the summit’s sidelines that will help ensure an “affordable, reliable and sustainable” nuclear energy supply for the Philippines. Manila aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030 and nuclear energy will help it reach that target, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspaper reported in mid-November.
Marcos met in Hawaii with senior U.S. military leaders including Adm. John Aquilino, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. They discussed the PRC’s assertive actions around self-governed Taiwan and in the Philippines’ EEZ. A day after Marcos’ speech, the Philippine and U.S. militaries announced joint air and naval patrols that were set to begin off Mavulis, the Philippines’ northernmost island, which is about 100 kilometers from Taiwan.
The allies in April 2023 held their largest military exercise in decades.
Marcos spoke of “critical challenges and opportunities,” including nuclear arms, military technology in space and climate change, and the need to promote economic security through public-private partnerships and U.S. Agency for International Development projects. Cyber and other rapidly developing innovations such as artificial intelligence bring benefits and risks, Marcos said, emphasizing that technology can provide solutions if properly applied.
“The Philippines will continue to be an engaged and responsible neighbor and partner,” Marcos said, “always finding ways to collaborate with the end goal of mutually beneficial outcomes, namely peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.”
