MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines rejects any attempt to undermine its national interests, especially the use of force in the disputed South China Sea, National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said on Friday.
“We reject any attempt to deny our strategic agencies, especially by the use of force that seek to coerce and subordinate the national interests of the Philippines,” Ano told a forum marking the 8th anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling that China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis.
Ano said the Philippines is “committed to the cause of peace.”
“We are committed to address and manage difficult issues through dialogue and through diplomacy.”
China, which has maintained that its actions in the South China Sea have been lawful and professional, does not recognise the 2016 ruling.
(Reporting by Mikhail Flores and Karen Lema; Editing by John Mair)
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