Rody on China: We want talks, not war

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is gearing up for talks, not war, with China, President Duterte said yesterday, as he expressed confidence in the ability of his special envoy to Beijing – former president Fidel Ramos – to help set the mood for formal negotiations.

“Ramos, being the statesman of the Republic of the Philippines, (told me) that I had a soft-landing about the judgment,” Duterte said, referring to the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidating China’s expansive nine-dash line claim in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea.

“Hindi tayo aporado na maki-pag-giyera, aporado tayo makipag-usap (We’re not rushing to go to war, we’re rushing to dialogue),” he told troops at Camp Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo, Sulu yesterday afternoon.

Duterte also noted how the drug syndicates in China have been operating in the Philippines to the detriment of the country’s peace and order situation.

He said Chinese top drug dealers have resorted to the use of high-tech gadgets such as GPS to send in illegal drugs and distribute them around the country.

Ramos met in Hong Kong with his old friends led by a senior Chinese official of the National People’s Congress to discuss the way “forward” for the Philippines and China.

A joint China-Philippine statement said Ramos met with National People’s Congress Foreign Affairs Committee chair and former ambassador to Manila Fu Ying and China’s National Institute for South China Sea Studies president professor Wu Shicun in a friendly atmosphere.

“They discussed, in their private capacity, the way forward in the spirit of universal brotherhood and sisterhood for peace and cooperation between the two countries,” the statement said.

Their informal discussions focused on the need to engage in discussions to build trust and confidence to reduce tensions and pave the way for overall cooperation for the benefit of both their peoples and the region.

“They stressed that building trust is very important to the long-term beneficial relationship between the Philippines and China,” the statement said, emphasizing the long history of friendship between the two countries.

Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara lauded the administration’s starting informal talks with China and sending someone of Ramos’ stature as special envoy.

“This is the stage of communicating and building trust and it is best if both countries are not rushed into anything,” Angara said.