Philippines Seeks Fresh Strategy in Countering China in Sea Feud
- Mulls new idea ‘to move the needle the other way,’ Marcos says
- Other stakeholders must join in ‘paradigm shift’ in sea row
A Philippine Coast Guard vessel escorting a ship on a resupply mission to the communities and Filipino military personnel stationed in the Spratlys, on Dec. 10.
Photographer: Jes Aznar/Getty Images
The Philippines should revamp its approach in dealing with Beijing’s aggression in the South China Sea as “traditional methods of diplomacy” are being disregarded and current efforts are heading in a “poor direction,” according to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“We have to come up with a new concept, a new principle, a new idea so that we move, as I say, we move the needle the other way,” Marcos said in a statement on Tuesday. “We’ve gone down the wrong road,” he said, as he rallied allies to come out with a joint position, in remarks first made before the Japanese media on Saturday.