South China Sea: Philippines’ Marcos denies stirring up conflict, ‘poking the bear’ with Beijing

“We are trying to keep things on an even keel,” Marcos said on Tuesday in an interview at the presidential palace in Manila. The challenge, he added, is that “since the threat has grown, we must do more to defend our territory”.

“We have not instigated any kind of conflict. We have not instigated any kind of confrontation,” Marcos, 66, said of his government’s policies. “We are just trying to feed our people.”

But, he added, “China has taken some very aggressive actions against our coastguard.”

The Marcos interview came on the same day US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting Manila. Ahead of a meeting with Marcos, Blinken criticised what he called Beijing’s “provocative” actions.

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Marcos Jnr says Manila determined to use diplomacy to resolve South China Sea row with Beijing

Despite the stand-off, Marcos emphasised that he’s kept talks with Beijing going and that he doesn’t want to be in the position of invoking a mutual defence treaty the Philippines has had with the US for decades.

Asked what might provoke him to utilise that defence accord, Marcos said the Philippines would have to be facing an “existential threat”.

“I hope the time never comes that we have to answer that question,” he said. “When you talk about the mutual defence treaty, to invoke that, actual outright violent conflict, then this is a very, very dangerous, very, very slippery road to go down.”

“As long as we stay true to the agreements of those treaties that we have had, I think the foreign policy will maintain a balance and there won’t be any radical changes, radical moves.”