EUROPEAN COMMISSION president Ursula von der Leyen issued an extraordinary warning today that Europe would not tolerate aggression in the Indo-Pacific.

At a joint news conference with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr after talks in Manila intended to bolster trade and economic relations, Ms von der Leyen gave a clear demonstration of the foreign relations meddling and military ambitions of the European Union beyond its borders.

She stressed the need for security co-operation, citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine shakes the foundation of the international order,” she said.

“This is why Europe supports Ukraine’s brave fight against the aggressor, because the illegal use of force cannot be tolerated, not in Ukraine, not in the Indo-Pacific.

“Security in Europe and security in the Indo-Pacific is indivisible. Challenges to the rules-based order in our interconnected world affect all of us.”

Without naming China, Ms von der Leyen reaffirmed the EU’s recognition of a decision by a United Nations-backed tribunal that invalidated China’s territorial claims — contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan — in virtually the entire South China Sea on historical grounds.

China has rejected the arbitration decision as a sham and warned the United States and its allies against meddling in what it says is a purely Asian dispute.