Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo attends the 61st Munich Security Conference in Germany. Photo from X/@SecManalo 

MANILA — Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo attended the 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Germany this weekend where he shared the Philippines' stand on the South China Sea dispute.

The MSC "is the world's leading forum for debating international security policy," according to its website. It is also a "venue for diplomatic initiatives to address the world's most pressing security concerns."

In a post on X early Sunday, Manalo said the Philippines remained steadfast in defending the rules-based international order and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS which Manila is a signatory.

"It was a privilege to share the Philippines' stand on the South China Sea at the Roundtable Discussion on Making Waves: Maritime Tensions in the Indo-Pacific during the 61st Munich Security Conference," he wrote on X.

Manalo's attendance at the conference comes amid China's increasing aggressiveness in the South China Sea where the West Philippine Sea is located.

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea that cuts through parts of the West Philippine Sea, a name created by Manila to assert its exclusive economic zone in the waterway.

An international court rejected China's assertion and ruled it had no legal basis. However, the superpower dismisses that ruling and continues to insist on its "rights".

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More details to follow.