ZURICH, Switzerland — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said that the Philippines will not give up its claims on the South China Sea, saying that it was one line he would not cross even as it attempts to establish a good relationship with China regarding the disputed waters.
Marcos said this in an interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the 2023 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.
In the interview, the President acknowledged that breaking the stalemate between the two countries was difficult as both Manila and Beijing are adamant about their claims.
"That's a difficult thing to have to do because the impasse, really, has occurred in the application of the law," he said.
"Both sides say that this area belongs-- we say it is the maritime territory of the Philippines, and, of course, China says the same," he added.
Marcos said there are many ways to navigate the issue, including joint exploration in the region and other agreements.
However, the give-and-take between the two countries does not include the Philippines giving up on its claims.
"We cannot concede any of the territorial claims that are being made against our established territory. That is the red line," Marcos said.
"That is something that will not move. It's something that we cannot cross because it's a very slippery road from there," he added.
President Marcos said the United States has already committed to standing by the Philippines if things escalate. However, he hoped their role would end with them making their presence felt.
"When there are certain reports that come in, some of the American ships come down and make their presence felt. So, we're hoping to maintain it at that level," he said.
"All of us stakeholders just want peace because we really have a great deal of work to do in recovering our economies," he added.
Marcos made a State Visit to China early this month. During his trip, he noted that the "incidents" in the South China Sea indicated poor communication between the two sides.
"When I met with President Xi , both in APEC and the State Visit I just had to the People's Republic, I said we have to find a system so that these sorts of things will not happen," he said.
"I suggested, and I think we're going to establish it, that we will have a line of communication that is higher up," he added.
"We already have a bilateral group that is working on the issues in the South China Sea--- West Philippine Sea. But I think it should be raised to a certain level," he continued.