Despite describing China as the Philippines’ “strongest partner”, President Marcos has taken an uncompromising stance in the South China Sea.

This week, the Lowry Institute international policy think tank hosted Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Junior in the City of Melbourne, to a select group of Lowry supporters.

The main thrust of the President’s speech was to maintain maritime harmony in the disputed South China Seas- where China has set up full militarised bases, since making its claim of the Spratley Islands in 1995.

Philippines’s pivotal position in the Asia Pacific region:

With the 1994 American closure of their Philippine military bases, established in 1901, the disputed Mischief Reef in the South China Sea’s eastern part of the Spratly Islands has alarmingly escalated with China’s force in land reclamation of 3 islands which are fully militarized. Arms of anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment, and fighter jets, threaten all nations operating nearby.

Sovereignty claims are also from Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan –  an important cargo route for the region that ships approximately $5tn in goods per year, or 21% of all global trade.

In 2016, the Philippines’ legal victory in an arbitration ruling in The Hague, Netherlands, invalidated Beijing’s vast territorial claims in the South China Sea. China did not accept the ruling.

President Marcos clearly stated: “We simply have no choice. We must defend the territory of the republic. That is a primordial duty of a leader. The territorial integrity of the Philippines cannot be threatened, and if threats are made, then we must defend against those threats.”

 The Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Penny Wong, in her ASEAN-Australia Summitt speech, noted:

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s 2023 statement:

“This rivalry affects every country and region in the world…And the risk of accidents and miscalculations is ever present, especially in dangerous hotspots like the Taiwan Strait. This worries Asian countries a lot. We are close to ground zero.”

Followed by Indonesian President Widodo, 2024 statement:

“We also have the responsibility to lower the tension, to melt the ice, to create space for dialogue, to bridge the differences.”

Senator Wong, concluded, that ASEAN member states must “nurture and protect agreed rules, uphold international law, prevent conflict and build strategic trust.”

Australia Philippines historic alliance:

Manila and Canberra proactively bolstered their defence cooperation by signing the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperative Defence Activities and forming the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee. This committee plays a pivotal role in supervising the implementation of diverse joint military operations between the two nations. Their collaborative efforts aim to fortify security and advance shared interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

In 2015, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull visited Manila, where he signed the Joint Declaration on Australia-The Philippines Comprehensive Partnership to boost bilateral cooperation.

The historical ties between Australia and the Philippines, both staunch allies of the United States in the Indo-Pacific, are profound. As far back as the Second World War, Australian troops stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Filipinos in the fight against Imperial Japanese forces. Notably, Australia’s sacrifices, especially during the Battle of Surigao Strait in 1944, played a pivotal role in the eventual liberation of the Philippines from Spain, all under the strategic command of US General Douglas MacArthur.

At the ASEAN-Australia Summit, the Philippines secured at least 14 business agreements worth US$1.5 billion pledged from  Australian investments, identifying climate change mitigation and renewable energy.

The Philippines in a founding ASEAN state member in 1967, the first official meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand.