President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have expressed “serious concern” about the current situation in the East and South China Seas and called for the peace and stability in the region.
In their joint statement during Marcos’ working visit to Tokyo, the two leaders strongly opposed forcible and coercive actions “that may increase tensions” in the waters being shared by several “stakeholders.”
Marcos and Kishida did not mention any nation or stakeholder in particular. But Japan sided with the Philippines in its “long-standing objections to unlawful maritime claims, militarization, coercive activities and threat or use of force in the South China Sea,” which were mostly committed by China.
“The leaders underscored the importance of peace and stability in the region and the security of its seas,” their joint statement read.
“The leaders reaffirmed their common commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight in the East and South China Seas, and a rules-based approach in resolving competing claims in maritime areas within the framework of international law, in particular UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” it added.
Kishida also expressed Japan’s support for the 2016 Arbitral Ruling on the South China Sea, which affirmed the Philippines’ claim over the West Philippine Sea.
Both leaders asserted that the Award “is final and legally binding.”
They then called for the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct for the South China Sea that should be “consistent with UNCLOS and does not prejudice the rights of all stakeholders in the South China Sea.”