Locsin meets with Chinese counterpart on sea row

MANILA, Philippines — After a strong Philippine statement declaring the 2016 South China Sea ruling as “non-negotiable,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed to address the dispute through “friendly” consultation.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday that Locsin met virtually with his Chinese counterpart “at the latter’s request” and engaged in open, cordial and fruitful discussions on Tuesday.

Locsin reiterated the importance of continued dialogue to propel Philippines-China cooperation forward across various fronts, under the “new normal” brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DFA said both sides reaffirmed that contentious maritime issues are not the sum total of the Philippines-China bilateral relationship.

“With mutual respect, sincerity and adherence to sovereign equality, both sides will continue to manage issues of concern and promote maritime cooperation in friendly consultation. Both sides agree to strengthen Philippines-China comprehensive strategic cooperation,” the DFA said in a statement.

Locsin and Wang recognized that Philippines-China bilateral relations have achieved a positive turnaround and a sound momentum of development through joint efforts and mutual trust of both sides.

On Monday, China slammed the Philippines’ declaration of the South China Sea ruling as non-negotiable with no possibility of compromise or change as Beijing highlighted the consensus reached by the two countries on handling the arbitration case.

The Chinese embassy in Manila made the statement a day after Locsin referred to the tribunal ruling that certain actions of China within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) “violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights and were unlawful.”

The embassy said China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea will under no circumstances be affected by this award.

It reiterated that China firmly opposes and will never accept any claim or action based on the award.

“It has to be highlighted that China and the Philippines have already reached consensus on properly handling the so-called arbitration case, which has laid down solid ground for the turning around of bilateral relations,” the embassy said in a statement.

In recent years, the embassy said China-Philippines relations have maintained healthy and steady momentum, with exchanges and cooperation in various fields making continuous progress.

“This serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples and contributes to peace and stability in the South China Sea. The two sides have also established the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea (BCM), returning to the right track of resolving relevant issues through bilateral negotiation and consultation,” the embassy said.

“It is hoped that the Philippines could make concerted efforts with China in jointly securing the hard-won sound momentum of bilateral relations and upholding peace and stability in the South China Sea,” it said.

Locsin’s strong statement said compliance in good faith with the award would be consistent with the obligations of the Philippines and China under international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) to which both parties are signatories.

Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Harry Roque yesterday downplayed the Social Weather Stations survey which showed that seven out of 10 Filipinos agree that the government should assert its rights over the West Philippine Sea.

Roque took potshots at the survey, supposedly supported by known advocate, former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario.

“We note the special (SWS) National Mobile phone survey on Filipino public opinion on China, sponsored by the Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute, which shows 70 percent of Filipinos believe that the Philippine government should assert its rights over the islands in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

Roque reiterated that the Duterte administration has always recognized the arbitral ruling despite the Chief Executive’s move not to openly pursue it with China.

“As we have said in previous occasions, the Philippine government continues to assert our rights over the disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea in accordance with the 2016 arbitral ruling. We have not waived nor have we relinquished these rights,” he said.

Unfortunately, Roque said the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling has “no way of being enforced by the body which rendered it, so we must look to other means to resolve the dispute.”

“While we are looking at peaceful and diplomatic means to resolve the issues surrounding the West Philippine Sea, these do not make up the sum total of our relations with China,” he said.

“We agree to disagree on the arbitral tribunal ruling and will proceed with our bilateral relations with China, especially on matters related to trade and economics,” Roque added. Christina Mendez