By Neil Jerome Morales
MANILA, Nov 18 (Reuters) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr met with Chinese language President Xi Jinping on Friday, searching for methods to give you methods to scale back tensions within the South China Sea and restore Filipino fishermen’s entry to fishing grounds.
The Philippines and China have to proceed to speak, with the assembly a key a part of the method to take care of peace, and hold open sea lanes and airways over the South China Sea, Marcos instructed reporters on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in San Francisco.
“We tried to give you mechanisms to decrease the tensions within the South China Sea,” Marcos stated, with out elaborating.
Marcos stated he voiced concern over incidents between Chinese language and Philippine vessels, together with one collision. He stated he additionally raised the plight of Filipino fishermen.
“I requested that we return to the state of affairs the place each Chinese language and Filipino fishermen have been fishing collectively in these waters,” he stated.
Filipino fishermen have complained that Chinese language coastguard and maritime militia ships are stopping them from fishing in components of the Philippines’ 200-mile unique financial zone.
Marcos stated he and Xi have been in settlement that geopolitical issues shouldn’t be the defining component of the 2 international locations’ relationship.
Since taking workplace in 2022, Marcos has pursued hotter ties with america, a treaty ally, in distinction with the pro-Beijing stance of his predecessor.
Marcos granted america better entry to its army bases, together with in provinces dealing with the South China Sea and democratically-ruled Taiwan, drawing the ire of Beijing.
Tensions within the area, the place China has construct man-made islands with missiles and airstrips, have elevated this 12 months.
“I don’t suppose anyone desires to go to struggle,” Marcos stated.
China claims nearly all the South China Sea, ignoring a 2016 ruling by the Everlasting Court docket of Arbitration that invalidated Beijing’s expansive declare.
China’s embassy in Manila didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Enhancing by Kim Coghill)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023.
