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China claims nearly all the resource-rich waterway, via which trillions of {dollars} in commerce passes yearly, with competing claims from the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Beijing has ignored a 2016 resolution by The Hague-based Everlasting Courtroom of Arbitration that declared its historic declare to be with out foundation.
Outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte fostered hotter ties together with his extra highly effective neighbor by setting apart the ruling in trade for guarantees of commerce and funding, which critics mentioned haven’t materialized.
In his strongest feedback but on the longstanding supply of tensions between the 2 nations, Marcos mentioned he wouldn’t “enable a single millimeter of our maritime coastal rights to be trampled upon.”
“We’ve a vital ruling in our favor and we are going to use it to proceed to claim our territorial rights. It isn’t a declare. It’s already our territorial proper,” Marcos instructed chosen native media.
“We’re speaking about China. We speak to China constantly with a agency voice,” he mentioned.
However he added: “We can not go to struggle with them. That is the very last thing we want proper now.”
‘Pals with everybody’
Marcos, popularly often called Bongbong, secured greater than half of the votes within the Might 9 election to win the presidency by a large margin and cap a exceptional comeback for his household.
His father and namesake dominated the Philippines for 20 years, presiding over widespread corruption and human rights abuses earlier than he was ousted in 1986.
Marcos Jr formally takes workplace on June 30.
He and his operating mate Sara Duterte, who additionally received the vice presidential race in a landslide, have embraced key insurance policies of the elder Duterte.
However Marcos signaled on international coverage he wouldn’t undertake the “barely unorthodox method” of Duterte, who rattled diplomats together with his firebrand rhetoric and mercurial nature.
Marcos indicated he would search to strike a stability between China and america, that are vying to have the closest ties together with his administration.
“We’re a small participant amongst very giant giants in geopolitics. We’ve to ply our personal manner,” mentioned Marcos.
“I don’t subscribe to the outdated pondering of the Chilly Struggle the place we had this spheres of affect the place you are beneath the Soviet Union otherwise you’re beneath america,” he mentioned.
“I believe that we’ve got to search out an impartial international coverage the place we’re mates with everybody. It is the one manner.”
The US has a fancy relationship with the Philippines — and the Marcos household.
After ruling the previous US colony for 20 years with the assist of america, which noticed him as a Chilly Struggle ally, Marcos senior went into exile in Hawaii within the face of mass protests and with the nudging of Washington in 1986.
As regional tensions stay excessive, Washington is eager to protect its safety alliance with Manila that features a mutual protection treaty and permission for the US army to retailer protection tools and provides on a number of Philippine bases.
The South China Sea was a key impediment in Manila’s ties with Beijing and wanted to be resolved, mentioned Chester Cabalza of the Manila-based suppose tank Worldwide Growth and Safety Cooperation.
“If there will likely be no transfer coming from Marcos Jr and (Chinese language President) Xi Jinping, the extra Beijing may have an higher hand by way of our strategic relations with China,” he mentioned.
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