Amid China tensions, Philippines to look for more military pacts, Marcos Jnr says

04:30

Philippines sets up ‘game changer’ monitoring station on island in disputed South China Sea

Philippines sets up ‘game changer’ monitoring station on island in disputed South China Sea

In a meeting on Sunday, Marcos Jnr and Kishida agreed to continue coordination to reach an early conclusion of the negotiations of the Reciprocal Access Agreement as well as enhance cooperation between the coastguards of the two countries.

The Philippines this month agreed to initiate talks with France for a defence agreement that would allow troop visits. Earlier in 2023, it held the largest version of its flagship military exercise with the US in more than 30 years.

Tensions in the South China Sea escalated again this month after the Philippines protested Chinese ships’ ramming and blasting of water cannons at Filipino vessels, the latest in a series of encounters in recent months.

Is Beijing warming to South China Sea code of conduct?

“The South China Sea situation is the most complex geopolitical challenge that the world faces,” the statement quoted Marcos Jnr as saying in an interview with the Japanese media on Saturday. “Tensions have increased rather than diminished.”

Amid the strain in relations with China, the Philippines has struggled to start exploring energy resources in the South China Sea.

“We are still at a deadlock right now,” Marcos Jnr said, adding that the country has been in negotiations for energy exploration for over three years now but very little progress has been made, according to the statement. “We have to try and resolve to see what role any countries can play,” he said.

The Philippine leader said exploration must start before the country’s Malampaya gas field is exhausted. The Philippines has said that it expects its biggest source of natural gas off the coast of Palawan to be commercially depleted by 2027.