President Rodrigo Duterte will still invoke the arbitral ruling on the South China Sea during his upcoming visit to China despite its refusal to recognize the landmark 2016 decision, Malacañang said Sunday.
The Chief Executive remains committed in his promise to raise Manila’s legal victory in his dialogue with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
This came after Chinese Ambassador Xiao Jianhua said that China will not recognize the ruling despite President Duterte’s insistence.
“That’s the position and right of China not to budge on their position, in the same way that it is our right not to budge in ours. That’s the way it is. But that will not stop the President from raising the issue of the arbitral ruling,” Panelo said in a radio interview.
“You know, when friends meet, they can always discuss anything under the sun. And if friendship is present, then both parties will be open to discussion,” he added.
The 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague refuted China’s maritime claim in the South China Sea. It also upheld the Philippines’ rights over its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.
Panelo also expressed confidence that Duterte will settle the territorial issue with his Chinese counterpart through diplomacy and negotiations.
“As I have repeatedly said, we are resorting to a friendlier network of settling differences which is negotiation. What we cannot get by invoking, we might be able to do so through talks. Asserting something as a matter of right and principle is different from talking as friends,” he said.
Since he took office in 2016, Duterte has been slammed by critics for taking a soft stance toward China. The President has also repeatedly mentioned his “friendship” with Xi.
“There’s nothing wrong with the President raising the issue. What’s the matter if he says, ‘By the way, what are we going to do with the ruling by the international court? I know you don’t recognize it but we can talk about it, maybe we can do something about it,’” Panelo said.
Apart from the arbitral ruling, Duterte also said he will discuss the proposed joint exploration with China in the West Philippine Sea.
Panelo assured the public that the joint exploration would not be disadvantageous to the government.
“They offered a 60-40 [deal)]. How can that be disadvantageous? Second, the ambassador of China said they won’t ask for a share that is bigger than that of the Philippines,” Panelo said.
“If you assert that and they do not recognize it, there would be no oil exploration. At the same time, we can use that as a bargaining leverage, you can say, ‘After all, it’s ours although you are claiming it, why can’t we just talk about the exploration so both of us can benefit?” he added.
Duterte had said that he will approve the joint exploration with China as long as Manila will get the bigger share.
Malacañang said earlier the June 9 Recto Bank incident might also be discussed in Duterte’s upcoming visit to the East Asian country.
More than 20 Filipino fishermen were left adrift the open sea for several hours after their boat was rammed by a Chinese trawler in Recto Bank last month.
The results of the investigation were not yet released to the public.
In the Senate, Minority leader Senator Franklin Drilon said that aside from the arbitral ruling, the President should also raise the issue of the growing presence of Chinese vessels in the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
He likewise urged the Senate to look into the continued excursion of Chinese vessels into Philippine territories.
“The presence of Chinese vessels into our territories is alarming,” he said.
“What is more alarming is that nobody knows what these ships are doing in our territory as even the government is clueless,” he added.
Drilon pointed out that the Chinese vessels should not have crossed the country’s EEZ in the first place.
“China must be made to explain,” he said.
The minority leader also commended Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana for standing up to China.
Lorenzana expressed alarm over the presence of two survey ships operating in the country’s exclusive economic zone, prompting him to call the Department of Foreign Affairs to file a diplomatic protest.
“We commend the Secretary of Defense for all his actions to protect our territories and uphold our claim in the West Philippine Sea. We support him and the Filipino people should rally behind him,” Drilon said.
China’s growing aggressiveness should be properly dealt with, according to Drilon. The government must demand respect from its “friend” China.
Drilon also responded to a statement by Chinese envoy to the Philippines, Zhao Jianhua that China’s position remains firm that it does not acknowledge the arbitration award by the Hague-based international tribunal.
“All the more that the Philippine government must be more pro-active in calling out China and in filing diplomatic protest against China. Whether China accepts the ruling or not, the Philippines should continue to fight for our rights by virtue of the arbitration award.”
The former justice secretary reiterated that non-action by the Philippine government could be viewed as acquiescence.
Thus, Drilon said that Lorenzana is on the right track by exposing Chinese’s bullying tactics and bringing the matter before the international community.