BBM, Blinken to discuss peace, stability in SCS

Maintaining peace and stability in the disputed South China Sea (SCS) to ensure unhampered global trade will be one of the key issues expected to be raised during the meeting of President Marcos and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Manila tomorrow.

- HELEN FLORES

Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Manila today, his second visit to the country since August 2022.

At a joint press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel in Prague on Thursday, Marcos said, “all of these discussions are, really, as far as the Philippines is concerned, it is concerned with the maintenance of peace in the South China Sea.”

He said the SCS issue is not only vital for countries that surround the Indo-Pacific region, such as the member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but also for international trade.

“Because this… safe navigation and passage (in) the South China Sea is important to international trade, as close to 60 percent of international trade goes to that channel and we hope to continue these discussions,” Marcos said, referring to his meeting with the US official.

The President stressed that the Philippines’ move to strengthen defense ties with its allies, including the US and Japan, was not aimed at “winning” any conflict, but to maintain the peace and to “continue to defend the sovereignty and the sovereign rights of the Philippines.”