PH, Singapore commit to peaceful resolution of maritime disputes

PHOTO FROM Presidential Communications Office
MANILA, Philippines — Both President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful resolution of maritime disputes in the South China Sea in accordance with international law.
Both leaders made the pronouncement after conducting a bilateral meeting in Malacañang.
READ: Singapore’s president arrives in Malacañang
In his speech, Marcos emphasized that as “geographical neighbors” in Southeast Asia, the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea are of significant importance to both the Philippines and Singapore.
“So, we look forward to the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to maintain and to promote peace, security, and stability in the region as well as our strong support [to] the peaceful resolution of any such disputes,” he said during a joint statement to the press.
Article continues after this advertisementMeanwhile, Shanmugaratnam, for his part, reiterated Singapore’s position on the disputes within the South China Sea region — to uphold the rights of all states to freedom of navigation and overflight based on established international laws, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).
Article continues after this advertisement“That’s fundamental, Unclos has to be the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas are carried out,” said Shanmugaratnam.
The Philippines and China have been embroiled in a territorial dispute after the latter claimed the majority of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, which is well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
China’s claims have been effectively invalidated by a July 2016 international tribunal ruling that stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013.
READ: Marcos may discuss West Philippine Sea issue in Singapore forum
But China continued to deliberately ignore the ruling, consistently encroaching on the country’s exclusive economic zone.
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