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NSA: Security challenges in South China Sea unlikely to ease soon

Philippine News Agency

By Priam Nepomuceno
May 6, 2025, 2:35 pm

MANILA -- National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año on Tuesday said security challenges in the South China Sea are unlikely to be reduced anytime soon.

"The Philippines recognizes the challenges in the South China Sea are unlikely to diminish anytime soon. The situation becomes even more complex due to potential flashpoints in the area which continue to evolve amid rising geopolitical and geoeconomic tensions and shifting global security dynamics," Año said in his speech at the Stratbase Institute and Stanford University's Sealight Project online forum titled "Scarborough Shoal: Facing Facts and Exploring Options."

The NSA attributed the tensions to China's baseless, excessive and expansive territorial claims, militarization, and confrontations with its neighbors -- things that simply cannot be disregarded.

Año also emphasized that while these complexities are not easy to navigate, the Philippines committed to the fundamental tenet of sovereign equality of states and amity with all nations.

These objectives, Año stressed, have always remained even when the country's lawful interests and rights are being endangered and compromised.

"By putting forward our vision of greater peace, stability and prosperity, not just in the region but around the globe, we have created a clear and resonating message that preserving our territorial integrity is foundational for the Philippines and is of (course, non-negotiable) which is why our call for respect for legitimate interests and legally settle rights of all parties reverberates ever so loudly across the region and beyond as protecting the WPS (West Philippine Sea) impacts not just us but also the whole world since 60 percent of the world's commerce passes through the area," he added.

The NSA also added that securing the WPS is needed as it equates to the survival of the Philippines and its people.

Its preservation as Philippine territory is also instrumental for the country to attain prosperity and a sustainable future, he added.

Aside from this, Año said maintaining peace and harmony in the WPS will help promote national solidarity and enhanced respect for the country and its people. It will broaden the Philippines' sphere of influence and strengthen its position in the community of nations.

"China's continued presence in Scarborough Shoal since 2012 after a three-month standoff is a clear contrast to what we advance in our collective pursuit of a stable, just and rule-based maritime order," the NSA said.

Año likewise raised concern over Philippine territories being subjected by China to adverse claims and illegal occupation or control.

"Disregarding the 2016 arbitral ruling, which effectively invalidated its maritime claims in the BDM (Bajo de Masinloc, the other name of Scarborough Shoal), China went on conducting aggressive actions not just in Scarborough but also in other areas. China fishing vessels, China Coast Guard vessels, and even People's Liberation Army Navy ships have become permanent fixtures in the area with their swarming and unlawful presence and activities," he added.

With the deployment of their vast maritime and naval assets, the NSA said China resorted to conducting more bolder moves in its bid to control other Philippine territories.

This includes conducting dangerous maneuvers with foreign vessels, laser-pointing and flare-firing, firing of water cannons, unprecedented island-building and reclaiming of unoccupied features, dispersing and driving away Filipino fisherfolks, and unauthorized marine scientific research and hydrographic surveys, among others.

In response to China's illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive tactics, Año stressed that the Philippines and its allies anchored its strategies in the WPS on pre-national interests.

"These are the preservation of territorial integrity, protection of economic interests, and the promotion of regional stability, which are all embodied in the National Security Policy 2023 to 2028. Responding to the call of no less than our President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., in which he envisions a South China Sea that springs peace, stability and prosperity, we have ensured that our strategies protecting and advancing our national interests are well-coordinated and synergized, maximizing all instruments of national power and mixing the right combinations of initiatives to counter these illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive actions," he added.

To counter this, the NSA said the Philippines is working to address gaps and this includes crafting a long-term policy for the WPS, one that would ensure its continuity and sustainment, as the government pursues our agenda in view of geopolitics and international relations.

"We have also taken important steps in building and developing defense and civilian maritime law enforcement capabilities, capacitating human resources and capitalizing on existing and new security partnerships with like-minded allies. Our robust, credible and self-reliant defense system is on top of our priorities to meet any challenge to our sovereignty, sovereign rights and maritime jurisdictions," he added. (PNA)