Marcos, Anwar talk peace in South China Sea

MANILA — The Philippines and Malaysia agreed on Wednesday, March 1 to bolster their political and security cooperation even as they emphasized the importance of maintaining peace in the South China Sea.

President Marcos and Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim discussed developments in the South China Sea during their bilateral meeting at Malacañang last night.

Marcos said the two countries, as immediate neighbors, recognize the importance of maintaining peace and security in the region.

“As such, we agreed to continue our cooperation on political and security matters, rekindling the Joint Commission Meetings and joint initiatives to combat transnational crime and terrorism,” Marcos said at a joint press conference at the President’s Hall in Malacañang.

Anwar, for his part, said he shared Marcos’ position to take up the matter at a multilateral level among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“We did discuss the South China Sea issue and I shared President Marcos Jr.’s concern that due to the complexity and sensitivity of the issue, we