MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said his country is open to cooperating with other nations, but he stressed that respect for sovereignty is non-negotiable.
“The Philippines is very much open to cooperating with its neighbours,” Marcos said on Wednesday at a forum in Manila hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“But in all of these, respect for our sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction is, and has always been, and will always be non-negotiable,” he added.
Marcos didn’t mention specific countries. The Philippines, a long-time US ally, is embroiled in a territorial dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea.