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Galvez calls for rules-based order amid tensions in South China Sea

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Raffy Cabristante, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Philippines Senior Undersecretary and Officer-in-Charge of the Department of National Defense Carlito Galvez delivers his speech during a plenary session of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-la Dialogue at the Shangri-la hotel in Singapore on June 3, 2023. Defense ministers and officials from 41 countries are gathered in the city state for the IISS Shangri-la Dialogue, an annual high-level defence summit in the Asia-Pacific region. How Hwee Young, EPA-EFE" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/06/04/06042023-philippines-senior-undersecretary-and-officer-in-charge-of-the-department-of-national-defense-carlito-galvez_epa.jpg"/><figcaption>Philippines Senior Undersecretary and Officer-in-Charge of the Department of National Defense Carlito Galvez delivers his speech during a plenary session of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-la Dialogue at the Shangri-la hotel in Singapore on June 3, 2023. Defense ministers and officials from 41 countries are gathered in the city state for the IISS Shangri-la Dialogue, an annual high-level defence summit in the Asia-Pacific region. <em>How Hwee Young, EPA-EFE</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — Defense officer-in-charge Carlito Galvez Jr. on Saturday called on neighboring countries to uphold the rule of law in the South China Sea amid persisting tensions in the disputed waters.</p><p>Speaking to his fellow defense chiefs at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, Galvez said adhering to international law is an effective way to settle maritime disputes, calling it the &quot;greatest equalizer among states.&quot;</p><p>He cited the Philippines&#x27; 2016 legal victory before the Permanent Court of Arbitration as an example of how tensions in the South China Sea could be resolved.</p><p>&quot;We view the 2016 arbitration award as not only setting the reason and right in the South China Sea, but also as an inspiration for how matters should be considered by states facing similar challenging circumstances,&quot; Galvez said in the dialogue attended by Chinese defense minister Li Shangfu and US defense secretary Lloyd Austin.</p><p>But Galvez clarified that the Philippine victory was &quot;not directed at any country,&quot; noting that it was a decision &quot;favoring all nations subscribing to the rule of law.&quot;</p><p>&quot;President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has strongly emphasized his directive to safeguard every square inch of our territory from any foreign power... The UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitration are and will continue to be the twin anchors of our policies and actions in the West Philippine Sea and the broader South China Sea,&quot; he said.</p><p>Seven years since the permanent court ruled in favor of the Philippines and debunked China&#x27;s historical &quot;nine-dash line&quot; claims, the latter has repeatedly rejected the ruling.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/25/20/china-rejects-hague-ruling-anew-cites-agreement-with-duterte-to-close-the-old-chapter">China rejects Hague ruling anew, cites &#x27;agreement&#x27; with Duterte to &#x27;close the old chapter&#x27;</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/26/22/marcos-rejects-trampling-of-coastal-rights-in-west-ph-sea">Marcos wants &#x27;bilateral cooperation with China&#x27; while &#x27;asserting&#x27; claim in West PH Sea</a></li></ul><p>Galvez also highlighted the importance of multilateralism and dialogues to reach an agreement to abide by a shared system of norms and values, citing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an example of how these work in a region as diverse as the Asia-Pacific.</p><p>Building on this, he then said that the Philippines continued to seek a code of conduct between ASEAN and China on the South China Sea &quot;despite the pressures of destabilizing actions and incidents of intimidation.&quot;</p><p>&quot;The preservation of the long peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific rests on our accountability to the rule of law and the success of our cooperation amid our diversity,&quot; Galvez said.</p><p>&quot;The Philippines remains committed to diplomacy and dialogue to build the aggregated resilience of the [Asia-Pacific] region as a whole,&quot; he added.</p><p>Galvez represented the Philippines in the 3-day Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, an intergovernmental meeting among defense chiefs across the Asia-Pacific and the West.</p><p>In the same forum, China&#x27;s defense minister warned against forming alliances in the region similar to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), saying they would plunge Asia-Pacific into a &quot;whirlpool&quot; of conflict.</p><p>&quot;Attempts to push for NATO-like (alliances) in the Asia-Pacific is a way of kidnapping regional countries and exaggerating conflicts and confrontations,&quot; Li said. </p><p>Although he did not explicitly name any country in his speech, Li&#x27;s remarks were seen as an apparent jab to the United States, which has been shoring up partnerships with countries in the region including the Philippines.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/06/04/23/china-warns-nato-like-ties-in-asia-pacific-may-lead-to-conflict">China defense minister warns &#x27;NATO-like&#x27; ties in Asia-Pacific may lead to conflict</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/06/02/23/us-china-defense-chiefs-speak-briefly-at-singapore-summit">US, China defense chiefs speak &#x27;briefly&#x27; at Singapore summit</a></li></ul><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES: </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MXkt9fltWo4?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Defense chief Galvez called on countries to uphold rule of law in the South China Sea amid persisting tensions in the disputed waters.

Galvez calls for rules-based order amid tensions in South China Sea

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Galvez calls for rules-based order amid tensions in South China Sea

Raffy Cabristante,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 04, 2023 04:31 PM PHT

Read More:

South China Sea

West Philippine Sea

Philippines

China

Carlito Galvez Jr.

Singapore

Shangri-la dialogue

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