MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Monday his country would not use water cannons or any offensive weapons in the South China Sea.
The last thing the Philippines wants to do is increase tensions on this strategic waterway, Marcos told reporters.
“We will not follow the Chinese Coast Guard and Chinese ships in this path,” Marcos said, adding that the mission of the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard was to reduce tensions and that it was not intended to install water cannons on ships.
The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last week, Manila protested Beijing’s use of water cannons against Philippine ships on a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, calling it harassment and “dangerous maneuvers” after tensions rose in recent years. last months.
China claims sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, a channel for more than $3 trillion in annual maritime trade, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
In 2016, an international tribunal ruled that China’s broad claims had no legal basis, a ruling that Beijing rejected.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; editing by John Mair)
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