Marcos sets 'red line' with Beijing over South China Sea

Any serviceman, citizen killed by wilful act comes very close to an act of war’, he says

- Michelle Ng

Any Filipino serviceman or citizen killed by a wilful act in the South China Sea comes very close to what the Philippines defines as "an act of war" to which his country will respond accordingly, said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on May 31.

"We had already suffered injury, but thank God, we have not yet gotten to the point where any of our participants, civilian or otherwise, have been killed," said Mr Marcos, using the most strongly worded language to date in reference to an escalating maritime row with China in the South China Sea.

"But once we get to that point, certainly we would have crossed the Rubicon. Is that a red line? Almost certainly it's going to be a red line," he added, in response to a question from the floor after his keynote speech at the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore.

Mr Marcos had in April said that any Filipino death in the event of aggression by a "foreign power" in the South China Sea could invoke a defence treaty between the Philippines and the US.

In his keynote speech, Mr Marcos once again referred to the defence treaty with the US, saying: "Our treaty partner, I believe, also holds that same standard for when the joint actions will be undertaken in support of any such kind of incident in the Philippines."

In March, China's coast guard fired a water cannon on a Philippine vessel, which the Philippines said resulted in injury and property damage.