The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will continue to strengthen and broaden its maritime alliances with like-minded states as the country confronts an increasingly aggressive China in its waters.

DFA spokesman on maritime affairs Rogelio Villajueva said Manila is not closing its doors on diplomacy when it comes to managing its disputes with Beijing over contested features in the South China Sea, stressing that the country’s “maritime statecraft do not operate in isolation” as alliance-building and peaceful dialogue can be “pursued simultaneously.”

“These engagements are central to one of the core dynamics of Philippine maritime statecraft: actively leveraging alliances and partnerships to uphold a rules-based maritime order grounded in international law,” said Rogelio Villanueva, spokesperson of the Department of Foreign Affairs on maritime concerns, as he highlighted Manila’s increasing maritime security engagements with countries like Canada and its treaty ally, the United States. Japan and Australia are also key maritime partners of the Philippines.

Villanueva said two major meetings on maritime security were held between the Philippines and Canada and the US, bringing to 11 the total number of mechanisms with other states, covering defense and security cooperation, maritime law enforcement, the blue economy, marine conservation, promotion of international law and multilateralism.

Such dialogues, he said, “collectively reinforce the goal of building the capacities and capabilities of the country’s defense and security agencies.”

“In this regard, the DFA plays an essential role by identifying alignments between domestic requirements and partners’ areas of strength and expertise,” Villanueva said.

The Philippines, under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has sought to upgrade its defense capabilities as it faces China in the resource-rich South China Sea, which has flared in recent years. The years-long dispute also involve Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.