Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation


Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos (right) meeing with South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol at the Malacanang Palace in Manila on Oct 7, 2024. - AFP

MANILA: The Philippines and South Korea committed Monday (Oct 7) to deepening maritime cooperation, their presidents said, in the face of China's assertion of its claims over the South China Sea.

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

Yoon said they will strengthen "tackling transnational crime, information sharing and conducting search and rescue missions."

"We shared a common understanding about the importance of peace, stability and safety in the South China Sea," Yoon told reporters after the bilateral meeting.

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

South Korea has repeatedly commented on tensions in the disputed waters.

In March, Seoul expressed its "grave concern" over China's "repeated use of water cannons against the Philippine vessels" in the area.

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

It has built artificial islands armed with missile systems and runways for fighter jets, and deployed vessels that the Philippines says harass its ships and block fishing.

Cooperation agreements signed in the bilateral meeting Monday cover areas such as critical raw material supply chains, as well as a feasibility study on reviving the Philippines' mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

"As the geopolitical environment is only becoming more complex, we must work together to achieve prosperity for our peoples and to promote a rules-based order," the Philippines' leader Marcos said ahead of the meeting. - AFP

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Philippines , South Korea , maritime , cooperation

   

Next In Aseanplus News

One dead, several injured after soldiers attack N. Sumatra village
'Solar Great Wall' could power Beijing by 2030
The fight for AI talent heats up in China, as tech employers boost pay
1970s band Boney M to hold concert in KL on Jan 12
China clamps down on quest for soup dumplings by 'Night Riding Army'
Drone control with the swipe of a finger? Chinese team shows how it is done
Thai forestry protection officers attacked, valuable rosewood logs stolen
Singapore proposes unprecedented laws to stop stubborn scam victims from sending money to syndicates
India to summon Amazon, Flipkart executives as regulatory scrutiny grows, source says
From pool to spool: Retired Olympian Tom Daley exhibits his knitwear in Tokyo

Others Also Read