PHILIPPINES Nationalists Call on Marcos Jr to Enforce International Ruling on South China Sea

The Hague Court ruling rejects China’s territorial claims in the area. Last month, 100 Chinese ships circled the Julian Filipe coral reef which is within the exclusive zone of Manila. The new government promises to defend national borders, but does not want a confrontation with Beijing. The US warns that it will defend Filipinos if they are attacked.

Manila ( / Agencies) – A group of nationalists and activists have called on the new president Ferdinand Marcos Jr to enforce the ruling of the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague to protect national borders from China’s territorial claims. The mobilization took place yesterday, the sixth anniversary of the Court’s ruling, in front of the Chinese consulate in Makati, in the financial district of the capital.

In 2016, the Hague Court declared that Chinese claims to almost 90% of the South China Sea “have no legal basis”. Along with Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and partly Indonesia, the Philippines opposes the territorial claims of China, which for years has continued to militarize some islands and coral reefs in the South China Sea. To contain Beijing’s expansion, US warships conduct regular patrols near these military posts.

Last month, Philippine authorities reported the presence of 100 Chinese ships in the waters around the Julian Filipe coral reef, included in Manila’s beautiful exclusive economic zone. Since 2012 Chinese ships have refused to leave the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a constant point of friction between Manila and Beijing.

In response to the protesters, Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique A. Manalo reiterated the position of the Marcos jr administration that Manila supports the 2016 ruling. In theory it is an apparent change of direction from the policy of Marcos jr’s predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, who had built a privileged relationship with China.

Unlike the previous president, Benigno Aquino III, Duterte tried to de-escalate tensions with the Chinese, choosing to ignore the Hague court ruling. In exchange, Beijing offered trade and investment promises that critics say never materialized.

Analysts doubt that Marcos jr will really change Duterte’s line. The Philippine president has repeatedly said that he does not want a war with China. He also indicated his willingness to find a balance point between Beijing and Washington, which are in a tough geopolitical confrontation in Southeast Asia.

The position of the United States in this regard is clear. Yesterday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on China to respect the 2016 verdict. He added that Washington would be forced to defend Manila, its treaty ally, if China’s military Philippines are attacked in disputed waters.