DA NANG, Vietnam—President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday told Chinese President Xi Jinping that many Filipinos were increasingly becoming concerned over Beijing’s actions even while he thanked China for helping the Philippines beat the terrorists in the Marawi siege.
“There’s a bit of misunderstanding. Actually, what I was trying to say is that a lot of businessmen, and the Filipinos, have been asking me what is your position with China?”
Duterte then reiterated “there will always be a time to look into the issue,” after which, members of the Chinese security already asked members of the press to leave the venue of the bilateral meetings, held at the Da Nang Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque described the talks as “frank” and Xi, replying to Duterte’s inquiry, said there had been an agreement on the Code of Conduct and the talks would be continuing.
They also tackled the issue on the freedom of navigation since everyone would be sailing from the Indian Ocean through the West Philippine Sea and there was need for unhampered navigation.
On the North Korean issue, Roque said China had expressed no interest in a conflict on the Korean peninsula.
According to the Chinese leader, China, which is a member of the UN Security Council, was encouraging both Washington and Pyongyang to hold talks on issues of security concerns.
On Thursday night, Duterte said he would raise the supposed militarization in the South China Sea, as chairman of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Duterte also said he would not be asking for any military assistance from Washington to help wage a war against Beijing.
The regional bloc, which will hold its 31st Summit in Manila, is expected to discuss Beijing’s continued militarization of the disputed waters, amid the proposed start of negotiations for the actual code of conduct in the South China Sea between Asean and Beijing.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which more than $3 trillion of seaborne trade passes each year.
Duterte told Xi the Philippines values highly its friendship with China, as he thanked them for the ‘crucial help’ it gave during the war against extremist forces which laid siege in Marawi last May.
“First of all, let me thank you for your crucial help in our fight in Marawi a few weeks ago. We badly needed help, and it was China who first came to our aid; for that we are very very thankful,” Duterte said.
Duterte stressed he already gave word to Xi that Philippines and China “can be true friends.”
“Your arms that you provided are very crucial and one of our … sharp shooters killed Hapilon using a Chinese-made sniper rifle,” the President added, as he remarked that Beijing-made firearms were “very good” and “very accurate.”
Duterte, in one of his speeches last week, credited the sniper rifles donated by China as the weapons used to kill the top leaders of Marawi siege. With Sara Susanne Fabunan
Hapilon and Maute were killed by government forces in a crucial operation that ended the Marawi siege.
Duterte was at the middle of his foreign trip in Russia when he declared martial law in Mindanao.
Meanwhile, as the Asean leaders and China are set to announce the start of the Code of Conduct negotiations, a Southeast Asian diplomat said on Saturday the “geographic scope” of the COC would be a very challenging aspect between the claimant countries in the disputed South China Sea.
In an interview, the Southeast Asian diplomat, who refused to be named, said the geographic scope of the COC, the dispute settlement and the issue whether or not it would be “legally binding” would be the challenges once Asean and China officially started their negotiations on the COC.
“The geographic scope of the COC will be an issue (when the negotiation starts). The nature of the COC will be very challenging aspect because last August, the Asean Foreign Ministers announced that we want a legally binding COC, but we haven’t heard from the other side (China),” the diplomat lamented.
During the Asean Regional Forum, China insisted for a maritime code of conduct with Southeast Asian countries will “not be legally binding” or a “less forceful binding”.
But the diplomat said as the negotiation would officially start next year, the 10-member bloc would definitely push for a “legally binding” COC, despite China’s opposition.
“We will push for (a) legally binding (COC) because that’s what the Asean wanted. Whatever comes out of negotiation should be observed by everyone,” the diplomat said.
When asked to react on the suggestion of the Philippines’ former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario’s suggestion to start building up defense capabilities amidst continuous reclamation activities in the disputed island, the Southeast Asian diplomat said such advice was not a great solution.
The diplomat explained that if claimant countries or if Philippines would put its money in arms, all of the countries in the region would now have an excuse to further militarize.
“If the Philippines will put money in arms, what do you think will happen? All of these countries in the region will now have an excuse to further militarize. You will have an environment to arms race,” the diplomat said.
The diplomat said, Asean-China process was “the only viable mechanism” that the 10-bloc countries have in preventing escalation of the tension.
“If you are going to express pessimism even before the start of negotiation, if I may return the question, what kind of alternatives can you present instead of having COC?” the diplomat said.
The diplomat noted that the Philippines could not keep on “suing” countries who may have violated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
In a separate press briefing, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Robespierre Bolivar said the Asean leaders were set to announce the start of an actual negotiations on November 13. With Sara Susanne Fabunan