President Marcos says Philippines ‘is not going to lose an inch’ of territory

MANILA: Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr mentioned on Saturday that the nation “is not going to lose an inch” of territory, his remarks approaching the heels of constant maritime tensions with Beijing within the South China Sea.

“The nation has seen heightened geopolitical tensions that don’t conform to our beliefs of peace and threaten the safety and stability of the nation, of the area and of the world,” Marcos mentioned in a speech at a navy alumni homecoming occasion.

“This nation is not going to lose an inch of its territory. We’ll proceed to uphold our territorial integrity and sovereignty in accordance with our structure and with worldwide legislation. We’ll work with our neighbors to safe the protection and safety of our peoples.”

Beijing’s embassy in Manila didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. China’s international ministry had mentioned its coastguard performed actions in keeping with legislation.

On Tuesday, Marcos summoned China’s envoy to specific his “severe concern” over Beijing’s “rising frequency and depth of actions” towards the Philippine Coast Guard and Filipino fishermen within the South China Sea.

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The Philippines’ international ministry on Tuesday additionally filed a diplomatic protest after Manila’s coastguard reported its Chinese language counterpart had directed a “military-grade laser” at one in every of its ships supporting a resupply mission to troops, quickly blinding its crew on the bridge.

China’s current actions, only a month after Marcos’ state go to to Beijing, has stoked a long-running territorial dispute over the South China Sea.

China claims giant swathes of the strategic waterway, the place about $3 trillion in ship-borne commerce passes yearly, which was invalidated by a global tribunal in The Hague in 2016.