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From left, Lufthansa Technik Philippines President Holger Beck, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President Joshua Bingcang pose for a picture with a signed agreement in Manila, Philippines Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Ezra Acayan\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n
Ezra Acayan\/Ezra Acayan\/Pool Getty Images v<\/p>\n
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, left, walks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Ezra Acayan\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n
Ezra Acayan\/Ezra Acayan\/Pool Getty Images vi<\/p>\n
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, center left, with his wife Elke Budenbender, left, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with his wife Liza Araneta Marcos pose for pictures in Manila, Philippines Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Ezra Acayan\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n
Ezra Acayan\/Ezra Acayan\/Pool Getty Images vi<\/p>\n
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, left, walks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. following a press conference in Manila, Philippines Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Ezra Acayan\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n
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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaks during a press conference as he meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila, Philippines Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Ezra Acayan\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n
Ezra Acayan\/Ezra Acayan\/Pool Getty Images vi<\/p>\n
MANILA, Philippines (AP) \u2014 German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in the Philippines on Tuesday that Europe is worried over tensions in the disputed South China Sea where a major flare-out could endanger freedom of navigation as has happened in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
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In a joint appearance with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila, where Steinmeier is on a state visit, the German president referenced the blockade of the Hormuz as a result of the Iran war and said European leaders were concerned about continuing territorial confrontations in the South China Sea, particularly between the Philippines and China.<\/p>\n
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The United States lays no claims to the South China Sea but has repeatedly warned it’s obligated to help defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack.<\/p>\n
China has repeatedly warned the U.S. not to meddle with the disputes, which also involve Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation in the South China Sea \u2026 continues to be tense and that gives us cause to be concerned because the Indo-Pacific, in particular the region of Southeast Asia, is one of the most economically dynamic regions of the world,\u201d Steinmeier said through an interpreter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf incidents occur in that part of the world that is also cause for great concern in Europe,\u201d Steinmeier said. \u201cViolations of the international law of the sea endanger the freedom of navigation as the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has brought home to us recently in a very drastic manner.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which led to global spikes in fuel and fertilizer prices, was among the issues Steinmeier and Marcos discussed in a closed-door meeting.<\/p>\n
Steinmeier did not blame any country for tensions in the South China Sea, a key global trade route, but Germany has previously said China\u2019s actions in the disputed waters violate the rights of coastal states like the Philippines and threaten freedom of navigation.<\/p>\n
While visiting Manila in 2024, then German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said China\u2019s actions, which have led to minor collisions with Philippine vessels at sea, are of concern to Germany and other European countries \u201cbecause such risky maneuvers violate rights and opportunities for economic development of your own country and other littoral states.\u201d<\/p>\n
China\u2019s claims \u201care not covered by international law,\u201d Baerbock said then while calling for a peaceful resolution to the disputes. She visited the Philippine coast guard headquarters in Manila and boarded a patrol ship, where she briefly flew one of surveillance drones donated by Germany.<\/p>\n
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Steinmeier on Tuesday pledged Germany’s continued support to the Philippine coast guard, which has been a front line guardian of Manila\u2019s territorial interests and had figured in several altercations in the waters with Chinese forces.<\/p>\n
Marcos thanked Steinmeier and Germany \u201cfor consistently and publicly expressing its support for Philippine efforts to uphold the rule of law in the South China Sea, including by calling on all parties to abide by the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2016 arbitration ruling, citing the 1982 U.N. Convention of the Law of the Sea, invalidated China\u2019s expansive claims in the South China Sea. Beijing did not participate in the arbitration initiated by the Philippines, rejected its outcome and continues to defy it.<\/p>\n
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