(Eagle News)–A free and open South China Sea benefits the world.
This was the declaration made by President Bongbong Marcos during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday.
The President is on a three-day working visit in Germany.
“Because it really, it has to be recognized that the South China Sea handles 60 percent of the trade of the entire world. So, it’s not solely the interest of the Philippines, or of ASEAN, or of the Indo-Pacific Region but the entire world. That’s why it’s in all our interest to keep it as a safe passage for all international commerce that goes on in the South China Sea,” he said.
On the German Chancellor’s planned visit to China, President Marcos expressed hope the visit will be a success particularly in lowering the tensions in the South China Sea and attaining a more peaceful situation in Ukraine.
“Ukraine, of course, is a continuing challenge that the whole world faces. It is not some—the interconnection of the global economy..such that an occurrence, such a conflict, no matter how far away from the Philippines, does affect the Philippines still and the region,” he said.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the Philippines received Germany’s support in protecting its rights in the South China Sea, with German Chancellor Scholz noting the importance of upholding international law.
The President is also slated to proceed to the Czech Republic for a two-day state visit after his German working visit.
