President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. welcomed the visit of Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles to the Philippines, saying it would be an essential part of the country's response to China's actions in the West Philippine Sea.
Marcos said this during his meeting with the Australian official in Malacañang on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
In his remarks, the President noted that Marles' visit would bolster a stronger alliance with the Philippines' Indo-Pacific neighbor.
"I truly believe that the future lies in strong alliances and in a united front in promoting again the values that we consider important to our countries," Marcos said.
"This is extremely important that we are seeing constantly in consultation, and we are seeing to continuously promote the rule of law and the sovereignty of nations," he added.
In a statement, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said President Marcos thought Deputy Prime Minister Marles' visit "will be an important part of the response to the recent acts by the Chinese Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea."
Marles is also Australia's Minister of Defense.
Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said that Marles' visit has "demonstrated the steadfast commitment of the Australian and the Philippine government to further deepen our bilateral defense relations between our nations."
"As Deputy Prime Minister Marles said, Australia's relationship across the region is founded on history, personal connections, and shared interest," Galvez said during the joint press conference with the Australian official in Quezon City.
According to Malacañang, the Philippines and Australian governments are looking forward to elevating their partnership as the leaders of the two nations agreed in November.
Tensions in the South China Sea rose recently after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said a Chinese coast guard ship directed a "military-grade laser light" at BRP Malapascua, leaving a crew member temporarily blind and disrupting a mission in the South China Sea on Feb. 6.
In a speech in Baguio City on Saturday, Feb. 18, President Marcos said he would not cede an inch of Philippine territory. However, he noted that the incident was insufficient to invoke the mutual defense treaty between the Philippines and the United States.
This month, the Philippines and Japan agreed to boost security and defense ties. Japan also proposed a Japan-US-Philippines tripartite agreement.