The Philippines and South Korea commit to strengthening maritime cooperation

The Philippines and South Korea pledged Monday to deepen maritime cooperation, their presidents said, in light of China’s claims over its claims to the South China Sea.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos met in Manila and agreed to forge closer ties between their coast guards.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos (second from right) and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (second from left) pose for photos while Kim Jong-uk (left), Commissioner General of the Korean Coast Guard, and Ronnie Gil Gavan, Commander of the Philippine Coast Guard, holds up signed agreements during a meeting in Manila on October 7, 2024. Photo: Ezra Acayan/AFP.

Yoon said they will strengthen “tackling cross-border crime, sharing information and conducting search and rescue missions.”

“We shared a common understanding on the importance of peace, stability and security in the South China Sea,” Yoon told reporters after the bilateral meeting.

“Our two countries will continue to work together to establish a rules-based maritime order and for freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with the principles of international law in the South China Sea,” he added.

South Korea has repeatedly responded to tensions in the disputed waters.

In March, Seoul expressed “serious concerns” over China’s “repeated use of water cannons against Philippine ships” in the area.

Territorial claims in the South China Sea. Photo: Wikicommons.

China has sought for years to expand its presence in disputed areas of the South China Sea, brushing aside an international ruling that its claim to most of the waterway has no legal basis.

The country has built artificial islands, armed with missile systems and runways for fighter jets, and deployed ships that the Philippines says are harassing its ships and blocking fishing.

Cooperation agreements signed during the bilateral meeting on Monday cover areas such as crucial raw material supply chains, as well as a feasibility study on reviving the mothballed Bataan nuclear power plant.

“As the geopolitical environment only becomes more complex, we must work together to achieve prosperity for our people and promote a rules-based order,” Philippine leader Marcos said ahead of the meeting.