Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said he will meet counterparts and senior government officials from other countries to discuss different avenues to lower the tension in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) during the 21st edition of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

Teodoro accompanied President Marcos Jr., who was scheduled to deliver a key note address to mark the opening of Asia’s premier defense forum. The event will be held from May 31 to June 2.

“[T]he President is expected to discuss before the 2024 Shangri-La Dialogue participants and audience, and the international community at large, the position of the Philippine government on various security, defense, and diplomatic challenges and concerns confronting the Philippines and the region,” he said.

“For my part, with the Shangri-La Dialogue considered as one of the most significant security and defense gatherings in Asia, I will reiterate and discuss further the President's policies and pronouncements on security and defense matters during my engagements with various senior government officials, policymakers, scholars, and Dialogue participants,” he added.

The defense chief noted that the Shangri-La Dialogue serves as a vital venue to “discuss and debate divergent positions on numerous issues, critical challenges, and emerging concerns.” 

“Most important, however, we are all here to collectively manage, mitigate, and to reinvigorate the process of de-escalating regional and international tensions,” he added.

Tension between the Philippines and China due to their territorial dispute in the South China Sea continues to escalate in the previous months. 

The Philippine government has accused Chinese vessels of engaging in dangerous maneuvers, use of water cannon and military-grade lasers, and forming blockade operations to prevent Philippine vessels from accessing key areas in the WPS.

The latest issue involves the imposition by China of a unilateral fishing ban in the areas it claims as its own in the South China Sea, including parts within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

The Philippine government has expressed objection to the ban as it underscored that it has no legal basis under the international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and it violates the 2016 arbitral ruling which upholds the fishing privileges of Filipino fishermen in the WPS.

The national government also recently opposed the recent maritime rule imposed by China which empowers its coast guard to arrest, without trial, any foreign individual "trespassing" into the areas it claims in the South China Sea from 30 to 60 days.

“The 21st International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue is an excellent platform, under the guidance of President Marcos Jr., to amplify the Philippines' national interest and positions on regional and international security and defense challenges,” Teodoro said.