The Philippines and South Korea have agreed to deepen maritime cooperation and uphold an international rules-based order even as they upgraded their ties to strategic partnership amid China's increasing assertiveness over the South China Sea.
“President Marcos and I opened a new chapter of our partnership by elevating our relationship to a strategic partnership," said Yoon.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is on a state visit to the Philippines. Yoon Suk Yeol and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the decision to upgrade the ties after their talks in Manila.
The two countries also plan to boost "tackling transnational crime, information sharing and conducting search and rescue missions."
They reportedly discussed territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
The upgrading of the ties between the Philippines and South Korea to strategic partnership is seen as a response to growing geopolitical complexities in East Asia, especially due to the challenges posed by neighboring countries, particularly China and North Korea.
"We shared a common understanding about the importance of peace, stability, and safety in the South China Sea," the South Korean president said, adding, "Our two countries will continue to work together in order to establish a rules-based maritime order and for the freedom of navigation and overflight pursuant to the principles of international law in the South China Sea."
Yoon said the two leaders “reaffirmed that the international community will never condone North Korea’s nuclear programmes and its reckless provocations, as well as its illegitimate military cooperation with Russia.”
"As the geopolitical environment is only becoming more complex, we must work together to achieve prosperity for our peoples and to promote a rules-based order," Marcos Jr. had said ahead of the meeting.
