G7, Quad back Marcos on ‘rules-based’ order in Indo-Pacific

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s position to adhere to a rules-based international order in the South China Sea and to maintain peace and stability in the region has earned support from world leaders belonging to the Group of Seven (G7) and Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), Malacañang said.

The expressions of support were relayed to Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil by Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko through a letter sent to her on May 20, 2023.

Garafil said the letter contains Koshikawa’s report on the outcome documents of the recently-concluded 2023 G7 and Quad summits hosted by Japan.

In the letter, Koshikawa reported the fruitful culmination of the twin summits with “consequential decisions encompassing matters related to the Philippines.”

Koshikawa said that during the G7 summit, the leaders reaffirmed their

determination to meet global challenges and further champion shared international principles and values.

To maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific, the G7 leaders had emphasized their commitment to strengthen coordination with regional partners, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), he said.

The world leaders’ statement of support comes as China, in yet another attempt to reassert its claim over the South China Sea, defended its decision to deploy its own buoys in Philippine waters, saying they are doing it “in accordance with law.”

In a statement on Friday, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said it sees nothing wrong when Beijing deployed its largest beacon vessels to the West Philippine Sea (WPS), several days after the Philippines made the first move. The WPS is part of the South China Sea, which China has been claiming by virtue of its nine-dash line.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año countered that the placement of navigational buoys in the disputed waters off the West Philippine Sea was “an act of a sovereign nation and is pursuant to the country’s obligations under international law.”

China, the Philippines, and other Asean member-states such as Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia hold different — and in some cases overlapping — claims over the South China Sea.

In a 2016 arbitral ruling, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that Beijing’s nine-dash line, a demarcation that covers almost 80 percent of the South China Sea, is illegal.

Beijing has since ignored the ruling as it continued to beef up its presence in the contested territories.

‘No legal basis’

During the summit, Koshikawa said the G7 leaders agreed that there is “no legal basis” for China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea.

“The G7 leaders also stressed that there is no legal basis for China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea and strongly opposed its militarization in the region,” he said.

Koshikawa said the G7 leaders had likewise expressed “strong” opposition to Beijing’s militarization in the South China Sea, stresswe ing the universal character of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and its pivotal role in setting out the legal framework in all activities in the oceans and seas.

“Significantly, the leaders reiterated the legally binding Arbitral Tribunal award rendered on 12 July 2016 as a significant milestone as a basis for peaceful resolvement of disputes between the parties,” Koshikawa said.

“Furthermore, they affirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and agreed to foster resilience to economic coercion,” he added.

During the Quad meeting, Japan’s foreign ministry said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed serious concerns about attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion in the IndoPacific, including the East and South China Seas. Quad leaders shared the view that they strongly oppose such attempts.

On the other hand, he said that during the May 20 Quad Summit, the leaders reaffirmed their vision of a peaceful, prosperous and stable region, where nations respect sovereignty and are free from any form of intimidation and coercion.

With an eye to the future, the leaders, Koshikawa said, committed to adhere to four principles during the summit.

Among these principles, he said, are investing in the future prosperity of the Indo-Pacific, maintaining and strengthening stability in the region in accordance with international law, and working toward a stronger and enhanced multilateral system.

Other principles are respect for the centrality, agency and leadership of regional institutions while firmly working transparently alongside each other in open dialogue to deliver responsive and sustained economic and social value, Koshikawa said.

“By working together in creating a brighter future for all, the decisive actions in the summits concretize steps toward upholding an international order based on the rule of law and strengthening outreach to the Global South,” he added.

The G7 is an informal bloc of industrialized democracies such as the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom. It meets annually to discuss issues such as global economic governance, international security and energy policy.

The Quad is a security dialogue between the US, Australia, India and Japan. All democracies and vibrant economies, member countries tackle security, economic and health issues.