PBBM, hinikayat ang ASEAN na i- adopt ang mga hakbang para pigilan ang agresyon ng Tsina sa SCS

NANAWAGAN si Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., araw ng Huwebes sa mga kapwa niya Southeast Asian leaders na i-adopt ang mga hakbang na makapagpahinto sa ‘aggressive actions at harassment’ ng Tsina sa South China Sea (SCS).

Sa kanyang interbensyon sa 27th ASEAN-China Summit sa Laos, sinabi ni Pangulong Marcos na nakapanghihinayang na ang overall situation sa SCS “remains tense and unchanged.”

Sinabi pa ng Pangulo na ang agresyon ng Beijing at pananakot ay nagpapakita lamang ng “continued disregard of international law and standards,” partikular na ang United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) at 1972 Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS).

“We continue to be subjected to harassment and intimidation,” ang winika ni Pangulong Marcos.

“Such behavior is not unnoticed by our respective publics and the international community as well. That they will require a concerted and urgent effort to adopt measures to prevent their recurrence,” dagdag na wika nito.

Tinukoy naman ni Pangulong Marcos ang August 2024 incident sa SCS kung saan tiniis ng Philippine vessels ang agresyon at pananakot ng China Coast Guard (CCG) sa Escoda Shoal nang magsagawa ng routine maritime patrol.

Sinabi pa rin nito na gumamit ang CCG personnel ng water cannons at binangga ang Philippine maritime vessels sa tatlong magkakahiwalay na okasyon noong Agosto.

Binanggit din ng Pangulo ang ginawang pagtarget sa civilian fisheries vessels at aircraft gamit ang mga lasers at napailalim sa pananakot ng People’s Liberation Army (PLA) missile ships ng Tsina.

Sa kabila ng agresibong aksyon ng Tsina, sinabi ni Pangulong Marcos na nananatili namang committed ang Pilipinas na palalimin at palawakin ang ASEAN-China relations “in a comprehensive manner, thereby contributing further to the region’s long-term peace, development and cooperation.”

Sa kabilang dako, muli namang nanawagan si Pangulong Marcos sa ASEAN member-states na bilisan ang negosasyon para sa pagpapalabas ng nakabigkis na COC sa SCS para “to advance meaningful progress amid China’s aggression in the busy waterway, including Philippine waters.”

“Parties must be earnestly open to seriously managing the differences and to reduce tensions,” ang sinabi ng Pangulo sabay sabing . “In our view, there should be more urgency in the pace of the negotiations of the ASEAN-China Code of Conduct (COC).”

Samantala, binigyang diin naman ni Pangulong Marcos na ang “core elements of the COC, such as the milestone issues of geographic scope, the relationship between the COC and DOC, and its legal nature to this day remain outstanding.”

Aniya pa, “the definition of a concept as basic as ‘self-restraint’ does not yet enjoy consensus.”

“It is time that we tackle these milestone issues directly so we can make substantive progress moving forward,” ang winika ni Pangulong Marcos. (Daris Jose)