MANILA, Philippines — The support that the Philippines receives from nations like the Czech Republic “significantly reinforces” the country’s position on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue.
House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez made this remark on Friday as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. secured Czech Republic President Petr Pavel’s support on the issue during their bilateral meeting on Thursday.
“Support from countries like the Czech Republic significantly reinforces the Philippine position and amplifies the international voice dismissing China’s sweeping claims over the area,” Romualdez said in a statement.
Romualdez, who was included in the official delegation of Marcos for his four-day state visit to the European Union (EU) member-state, said the move could also help promote a rules-based approach in resolving maritime disputes through the use of international law based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Pavel, in a joint presser with Marcos in Prague, said: “As to the South China Sea, we fully support the Philippines when it comes to their entitlement to the free movement of goods and also maritime transport, because that’s a principle that we all respect, but which also secures global and regional stability.”
READ: Czech Republic backs PH’s right to freely navigate South China Sea
The EU delegation in the Philippines has reaffirmed their support for the decision of the 2016 arbitral tribunal.
This international tribunal ruling effectively dismissed China’s claim of ownership in almost the entire South China Sea, with their claims overlapping with most of the WPS.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said an estimated one-third of global shipping goes through the South China Sea. —With reports from Ana Mae Malate, INQUIRER.net intern