After Phl protest, Rody, Chinese official meet

MANILA, Philippines - Amid fresh concerns over China’s installation of weapons systems on artificial islands it has built in disputed waters, visiting Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin met with President Duterte at Malacañang last night.

Details of the meeting were not immediately disclosed by Palace officials.

“His request for an audience with the President is simply a courtesy call and exchange of pleasantries. It cannot involve discussions of substantive issues that will undermine the purpose and process of our political consultations,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said.

He also quoted Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. as saying that Liu’s visit was just part of “political consultations.” Abella also confirmed Manila’s filing of diplomatic protest against China’s installation of weapons system on man-made islands.

By issuing a note verbale, Abella said the Philippines is demonstrating its resolve to assert its sovereignty over territories being claimed by the Chinese “while remaining consistent with the efforts of President Duterte to revitalize longstanding ties with China.”

Citing information from Yasay, Abella said the Chinese diplomat also sought a meeting with his Filipino counterpart to discuss various bilateral issues.

Liu is the highest Chinese official to pay a courtesy call on Duterte in Manila after Ambassador Zhao Jianhua who has been very visible in official functions at Malacañang under the Duterte administration.

Relations between Manila and Beijing have since warmed since Duterte’s declaring his openness to bilateral talks in resolving the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea issue. He has also pleased Beijing with his readiness to set aside an arbitral tribunal ruling invalidating China’s massive maritime claim. 

Abella said the Department of Foreign Affairs had to call the attention of Beijing to the latter’s latest effort to militarize the South China Sea.

“Aggressive and provocative diplomacy will bring us nowhere so we dealt with the issue formally,” he said, referring to the filing of a diplomatic protest.

“As always, we shall staunchly support all efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region,” he added.

During his four-day state visit to China in October, Duterte brought home $24 billion worth of funding and investment pledges.

China vowed to provide $9 billion in soft loans, including a $3 billion credit line with the Bank of China.

Philippine and Chinese firms also signed preliminary agreements in railways, ports, energy and mining projects worth $11.2 billion.

Troubling

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. for his part, described as troubling China’s building of weapons systems on artificial islands.

“The actions of China in militarizing those disputed features are very troubling. They do not square with the Chinese government’s rhetoric that its purpose is peaceful and friendly,” Lorenzana said.

Satellite images obtained by various defense analysts showed that China is  continuously fortifying its occupied areas, specifically Subi (Zamora) Reef,  Mischief (Panganiban) Reef and Kagitingan Reef (Johnson South Reef).

“Notwithstanding the warming relations between our countries the Philippine government would be remiss in its duty to protect its national interests if it does not protest, question and seek clarification from China on the presence of weapons in the Spratlys,” Lorenzana said.

Citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to which China is a signatory, the defense chief pointed out that some Chinese reclaimed islands are within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Meanwhile, former ambassador to the UN Lauro Baja Jr. said that by “advertising” its decision to shelve the ruling of an international tribunal on South China Sea dispute, the Duterte administration is devaluing the country’s gains from a favorable court decision.

“If we intend to shelve, as they say we will shelve, we should not be advertising that. It devalues what we got from the panel. If we cannot say that we cannot enforce we should just keep quiet,” Baja said.

“That is a better strategy than coming out with a statement that we are setting it aside or that we will not bring it up in the meetings,” he said. Jaime Laude, Pia Lee-Brago