(Bloomberg) -- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his country is seeking ways to ease tensions in contested areas but the nation won’t yield amid a dispute with Beijing on the South China Sea.
“We continuously try to find ways to de-escalate tensions in contested areas with our counterparts, without compromising our position and our principles. I know that our neighbors too are doing their very best to make this work,” Marcos said during his State of the Nation Address on Monday.
“The Philippines cannot yield. The Philippines cannot waver,” he added.
The Philippines and China early this month agreed to ease tensions in the South China Sea after confrontations between the nations hit a high point in June when a Philippine sailor lost a thumb during an encounter.
Both sides agreed on measures such as a high-level hotline and a “provisional arrangement” on the Manila’s resupply missions to its military outpost in the South China Sea.
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