Metro Manila, Philippines – Philippine and Chinese officials were engaged in a verbal tussle over conflicting claims in the South China Sea during a global security conference in Germany at the weekend.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said the Philippines is exercising its rights over the exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea as he faced a former foreign affairs official of China at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Feb. 15.
When asked if it was “quite peaceful” in the South China Sea, Manalo answered in the panel discussion: “There’s not a conflict but there’s certainly high tensions and the potential for the tensions to even rise further.”
Manalo said the Philippines is following international law in undertaking activities within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“But when another country, let’s say, applies its own domestic laws to certain areas within our EEZ, then it really does create the kind of tension that we have been experiencing, especially over the last two years,” he said.
Manalo said following the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea “will be the best way to reduce tensions.”
“But if this is not the case, then the rich, the powerful, who will actually be in a position to assert their own laws against the weaker countries, I believe then we’re in for a period of even greater tension,” he said.
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(2/2) The 🇵🇭 remains steadfast in defending the rules-based international order and the rule of law, in particular, UNCLOS. pic.twitter.com/s3bTobKnSc
— Enrique A. Manalo 🇵🇭 (@SecManalo) February 15, 2025
