Duterte’s plan to hold bilateral talks with China 'most practical way out' - UP prof

MANILA, Philippines — A University of the Philippines professor said President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to hold bilateral talks with China is the most practical solution following the Permanent Court of Arbitration's (PCA) ruling in favor of the Philippines over the West Philippine Sea row.

“Bilateral talks is the most practical way out,” UP Professor Temario Rivera of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) said at a Pandesal Forum on Wednesday.

"All other avenues which have been used so far by the Philippines have unfortunately been unproductive,” Rivera added.

He said the two concrete bases for immediate talks are the status of Scarborough Shoal (Panatag Shoal) and the possibility of pursuing joint exploration and exploitation of resources not included in the PCA ruling.

Although the Scarborough Shoal was part of the Philippines’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the PCA ruled that Manila, Beijing and other countries had traditional fishing rights in the area.

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Rivera said he also supports the possibility of pursuing joint exploration and exploitation of resources in the South China Sea not clearly covered within the EEZ of any claimant state.

“China was not really claiming historic title over the waters of the SCS but simply historic rights to use the resources [which] opens angle for negotiation in the bilateral talks,” Rivera said.

Watch why else Rivera is supporting bilateral talks with China.