On October 7, Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr and South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was on a state visit to Manila, upgraded bilateral defense ties to a “strategic partnership”, amid existing territorial conflicts with China.
“I am pleased to announce that the Philippines and the Republic of Korea have formally elevated our relations to a strategic partnership, adding further impetus to the strengthening and deepening of our cooperation in an increasingly complex geopolitical and economic environment,” Marcos declared.
Both leaders inked various memorandums to elevate bilateral collaboration involving their countries’ coast guards, military modernization, raw material supply chains, and a feasibility study on resurrecting the Philippines’ Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.
The Philippine foreign office described the partnership would “build upon and further deepen political engagements between the two governments through various mechanisms, high-level visits, regular dialogues across many areas of mutual interest, and exchanges at all levels and channels.”
“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 governed by international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS and the binding 2016 Arbitral Award,” Marcos declared, alluding to United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), an international treaty that offers a wide-ranging legal framework for all activities and uses of water bodies around the world.
Notably, the elevation of bilateral relations has been viewed as a reaction to rising tensions in the region, particularly due to actions by countries like China and North Korea.
“We shared a common understanding about the importance of peace, stability, and safety in the South China Sea,” Yoon said, adding, “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.”
Although Marcos did not single China out in his comments with Yoon’s visit, Beijing remains a common threat to both the Philippines and South Korea.
Tensions between China and Philippine in the West Philippine Sea have sharply escalated in recent months. Multiple confrontations have occurred, with Chinese vessels ramming and using water cannons against Philippine ships, resulting in damage and injuries. On the other hand, Seoul has been constantly threatened by Beijing-supported Pyongyang.
West Philippine Sea is the official designation by the government of the Philippines to the parts of the South China Sea that are included in the country’s exclusive economic zone.
“I welcome the Republic of Korea’s efforts to promote peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula,” Marcos added, highlighting the “audacious initiative” and a “unification doctrine” proclaimed by Yoon in August to enhance the economy “are important in this regard”.
Yoon spoke about a “special bond forged in blood” between the Republic of Korea and the Philippines. He added that the two countries have closely cooperated over the past 75 years, and with the relationship elevated to a strategic partnership, the cooperation would go to a higher level.
Previously, Seoul voiced its “grave concern” in March over China’s “repeated use of water cannons against the Philippine vessels” in the area.
In August, there were reportedly six confrontations in the air and at sea in the disputed waters, five of such clashes occurred at or near Scarborough Shoal and the Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands, an area that lies within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile (about 370 kilometers) exclusive economic zone but where China has staked sovereignty claims. In June, a Filipino Navy sailor lost a finger during a violent skirmish between Beijing and Manila.
China has blamed the Philippines for the clashes, slamming Filipino troops for “illegally” intruding into its territory. In September, Beijing warned that its relations with the Philippines were “at a crossroads”, calling on Manila to “seriously consider the future” of bilateral ties.
In 2016, the Philippines emerged victorious in an international arbitration ruling against China that dismissed the nine-dash-line basis for all of Beijing’s expansive maritime and territorial claims in the South China Sea. However, for years, China has built artificial islands bedecked with missile systems and runways for fighter jets, and mobilized vessels that the Philippines says harass its ships and block fishing.
Deteriorating Sino-Philippine ties have threatened to involve the U.S., which has a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines and has pledged to help Manila should third-parties assault Filipino troops.
Regarding Philippine-Korean ties, the Philippines was the first Southeast Asian country to foster diplomatic ties with South Korea in 1949. Additionally, the Philippines mobilized troops as part of an international coalition combating North Korea and China during the Korean War in the 1950s.
At the moment, both countries have over 62 bilateral deals including energy, defense and information, social security and tourism.
Photo credit: iStock/ Oleksii Liskonih
