JAKARTA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Indonesia on Monday to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit that comes about a month after China’s use water cannons and dangerous maneuvers reignited tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippine President will be “definitely pushing for” ASEAN to release a statement against Beijing’s growing incursions in the South China Sea, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu said.

“Definitely there are external partners who support us, but I cannot say at this point if it will be at the level of consensus,” he said.

Last week, Marcos Jr. told reporters that the government would “continue to defend our territorial sovereignty, our territorial rights,” and refuted China’s new 10-dash line map.

“We have to respond to all of these and we will, but there are operational details that I prefer not to talk about,” he said.

“We have stayed true to the rules-based international law, especially the UNCLOS. That, I think, puts us on very solid ground in terms of our claims on territorial sovereignty, for maritime territory,” he said.

“This has been validated and supported by many many countries around the world. We should take strength in that. That, again, is a very big help to the Philippines in continuing to defend our maritime borders,” he added.

Marcos Jr. will join other leaders of the 10-member regional bloc in several meetings with other countries, including China, to “exchange views on key regional and international issues, build consensus on matters of mutual interest, and provide policy direction for the ASEAN community,” an official from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier said.

There will be at least three meetings with China, namely during the 26th ASEAN-China Summit, 26th ASEAN Plus 3 Summit, and the 18th ASEAN-East Asia Summit.

Aside from maritime issues, the President is also expected to raise concerns about food and energy security, post-pandemic transformation, digital economy, protection of migrant workers, and the promotion of the creative industry and micro, small and medium enterprises, the Department of Foreign Affairs had said.

On the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit, Marcos Jr. will also meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

This is Marcos Jr.’s third trip to Indonesia as Philippine President. He traveled to Southeast Asia’s largest country in 2022 for his first state visit, and returned to Indonesia in May 2023 to attend the previous ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo.

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