TOKYO, Japan—President Marcos told foreign media that the tensions in the South China Sea have increased and the Philippines continues to work to find an answer to it.

Marcos stressed that the country needs "new solutions" amid the increasing tensions in the disputed seas against China.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to be able to say that tensions have increased rather than diminished for the past months or the past years and that’s why we have to – but we continue to counsel peace and continue communication between the different countries—everyone that is involved,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media on Saturday, Dec. 16.

“And this has become – I sometime say, and I think it still applies, the South China Sea situation is the most complex geopolitical challenge that the world faces,” he added.

Despite the rising maritime tensions, the President reiterated that the Philippines will not start a new conflict in the region.

He said that with the raging Russia-Ukraine war, which he described as a “tragedy,” no country in the world wants to start a new conflict, especially in Asia.

"I cannot say that we have found the answer yet. We are still trying to formulate that answer as we speak. And things are moving very quickly in many parts of the China Sea and so there are changes in terms of approaches, [the aggravations],” he said.

Marcos affirmed that the Philippines remains committed in maintaining peace and adhering to rules-based order in the midst of increased geopolitical tension in Asia.

Strong alliances

He further said that the country will continue to forge strong alliances with like-minded allies as a more assertive China posed a real challenge to its neighbors in Asia.

The Chief Executive also delved on the increasing collaboration between the Philippines and Japan, saying it is a “very good example of evolution.”

The Philippines became the first recipient of the Japanese Official Security Assistance (OSA).

“This alliance that we have come together with Japan is again, is to show, to help us rather, work together more closely. Because in the military since there is a tactical operation that we really have to train with one another,” Marcos said.

“The so-called interoperability between the different forces and it doesn’t… it is not sufficient actually with just Japan and the Philippines to enter into this agreement. We really must get more of these kind of arrangements in place,” he stated.

This is about the trilateral agreement between the United States, Japan, and the Philippines, Marcos said, noting there should be more of such agreements in place both multilateral and bilateral levels.

“I think that really is the pattern that we are seeing to emerge and that is how we are evolving. And that is very good example of evolution,” he said.