Philippines eyes multilateral effort to avert South China Sea clashes
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A Philippine flagged boat is blocked by a China Coast Guard vessel in the disputed waters of the South China Sea in October.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MANILA – The Philippines will boost multilateral activities including freedom of navigation patrols in the South China Sea, its defence minister said on Wednesday, expressing hope that more countries would “join our fight” after an altercation with China this week.
The Philippines and China earlier this week accused each other of raising tensions China’s coast guard intentionally collided with its boats
The incident, near a disputed reef in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, drew widespread condemnation of Beijing, which says it has sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, despite an international arbitration award declaring that the claim has no legal basis.
The recent incident with China “could result in more willing nations to join our fight”, Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said in a televised interview on state-run PTV. He did not elaborate on what that would entail.
He also said he is optimistic about the progress on a reciprocal access agreement between Japan and the Philippines.
Philippine ties with China have deteriorated in 2023 with more confrontations at sea
