MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. mentioned Monday his nation would inevitably be drawn “kicking and screaming” into any struggle over Taiwan on account of its proximity to the self-ruled island and the presence of enormous numbers of Filipino employees there, regardless of China’s sturdy protest over such remarks.
Marcos additionally informed a information convention that the Philippines’ coast guard, navy and different vessels defending its territorial pursuits within the South China Sea would by no means again down and would stand their floor within the contested waters after the Chinese language coast guard on Monday staged harmful blocking maneuvers and used a strong water cannon to attempt to drive away Philippine vessels from the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal.
It’s the most recent flare-up of long-simmering territorial disputes within the busy waterway, a key international commerce route, the place overlapping claims between China and the Philippines have escalated in recent times. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan additionally lay claims to components of the contested waters.
Relations between China and the Philippines have been severely strained after Marcos, who took workplace in mid-2022, and his administration emerged as a number of the most vocal critics in Asia of China’s more and more aggressive actions within the South China Sea. The Marcos administration deepened its treaty alliance engagements with the US and began broadening safety alliances with different Western and Asian international locations like Japan, Australia, India and a few EU member states to strengthen deterrence in opposition to Beijing’s assertiveness.
China protested final week and accused Marcos of interfering in its home affairs and violating its “One China” coverage when he informed reporters on the sidelines of a go to to India that there was no approach the Philippines may keep out of a potential struggle in Taiwan due to his nation’s proximity to it and the presence of about 200,000 Filipino employees on the self-ruled island. China claims Taiwan as its personal territory and has repeatedly threatened to annex it, by power if vital.
The Chinese language Overseas Ministry then mentioned via a spokesperson that “’geographic location’ and a ‘giant quantity of Filipinos’ in Taiwan shouldn’t be used as pretexts to intervene within the inner and sovereign affairs of different international locations” and urged the Philippines “to earnestly abide by the One China precept” and “chorus from taking part in hearth on points bearing on China’s core pursuits.”
Requested to touch upon China’s protest, Marcos mentioned he was perplexed and couldn’t perceive Beijing’s concern.
“I don’t know what they’re speaking about, taking part in with hearth? I used to be simply stating details. We don’t need to go to struggle, however I feel if there’s a struggle over Taiwan, we will probably be drawn, we will probably be pulled in whether or not we prefer it or not, kicking and screaming,” Marcos mentioned. “We will probably be drawn and dragged into that mess. I hope it doesn’t occur, however, if it does, we now have to plan for it already.”
Individually, Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela mentioned Chinese language coast guard ships chased and staged harmful blocking maneuvers on Monday in opposition to Philippine coast guard and fishing vessels within the Scarborough Shoal, a wealthy fishing atoll within the South China Sea off the northwestern Philippines. A Philippine coast guard ship managed to evade being hit by a Chinese language coast guard water cannon throughout the melee, he mentioned.
Whereas chasing a Philippine coast guard vessel, a Chinese language coast guard ship by chance collided with a Chinese language navy ship, Tarriela mentioned. The Chinese language coast guard ship sustained “substantial injury” and the Philippine coast guard provided to supply assist, together with medical help, to the Chinese language facet, he mentioned.
There was no speedy remark from Chinese language officers on Tarriela’s statements.
Requested if the Philippine vessels could be instructed to withdraw from the disputed shoal, Marcos mentioned his authorities would by no means again away from any combat.
“There isn’t a silver bullet that should you hearth it, all our issues could be solved,” Marcos mentioned. “What’s going to occur is, we are going to proceed to be current, we are going to proceed to defend our territory, we are going to proceed to train our sovereign rights and regardless of any opposition from anybody, we are going to proceed to do this as we now have performed previously three years.”
