DFA chief: China harassment a ‘daily’...

appealing anew for military aid against Russia’s invasion, while British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called on world leaders to “double down” their support for the besieged country.

Japan and its neighbor South Korea met at the sidelines to discuss issues of mutual interest, while U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris spoke out against China’s “deepened” ties with Russia amid its war on Ukraine.

Meanwhile at a panel discussion, a recorded video of which was released by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Manalo reported China’s “cases of harassment” in the West Philippine Sea.

“[T]here are daily incidents, at least as far as we see it, of cases of harassment or land reclamation, which in many cases have been depriving the Philippines of the use of our exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” he said.

“It is these challenges which the Philippines and other countries in our region face, especially those with claims also in the South China Sea. [T]hat is more or less the daily situation that we face,” he added.

Manalo also met on the sidelines with Ambassador Fu Ying, vice chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress of China.

He tweeted about that “broad and candid exchange,” saying that “We talked about the latest incidents around Ayungin

Shoal and how to further strengthen relations while managing our maritime differences and regional security challenges in IndoPacific.”

UN action

At the discussion he attended, Manalo said the United Nations could further help create greater awareness on the importance of a rulesbased maritime order, and its Security Council could initiate an open debate on

“rule and order to prevail in the maritime domain and the South China Sea.”

“I think discussions like that would help create greater awareness of the importance of Unclos (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) and also maintaining a rules-based order so that any disputes or conflicts are settled through the rule of law and through peaceful means and not through coercive measures