A Philippine flagged boat is blocked by a China Coast Guard vessel during an incident that resulted in a collision between the two vessels, in the disputed waters of the South China Sea in this screen grab obtained from handout video released October 22, 2023.
China Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Oct 25 (Reuters) - The Philippines will boost multilateral activities including freedom of navigation patrols in the South China Sea, its defence minister said on Wednesday, expressing hope that more countries would "join our fight" after an altercation with China this week.
The incident, near a disputed reef in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, drew widespread condemnation of Beijing, which says it has sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, despite an international arbitration award declaring that claim has no legal basis.
The recent incident with China "could result in more willing nations to join our fight," Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said in a televised interview on state-run PTV.
Teodoro also said he is optimistic on the progress on reciprocal access agreement between Japan and the Philippines.
Persons:
Gilberto Teodoro, Teodoro, Neil Jerome Morales, Karen Lema, Mikhail Flores, Martin Petty
Organizations:
China Coast Guard, REUTERS, Rights, China's, PTV, Washington, Thomson
Locations:
Philippine, South, Rights MANILA, Philippines, South China, China, Manila, Beijing, Japan, United States