Key facts
- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr announced a new strategy for addressing South China Sea disputes.
- The strategy reframes the waterway as a shared vulnerability, moving away from territorial disputes.
- This approach aims to maintain dialogue on China's actions without triggering direct confrontation within ASEAN.
- Analysts believe ASEAN's principles of consensus and non-interference limit its ability to take collective action on territorial claims.
- Marcos Jnr referenced the ASEAN Maritime Leaders’ Declaration as a potential new avenue for the Philippines.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has signaled a shift in strategy for addressing the South China Sea, moving away from focusing on territorial disputes and instead framing the waterway as a shared vulnerability. Speaking on the country's Independence Day, Marcos Jnr indicated a desire to keep China's actions within the regional conversation without provoking direct confrontation among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members.