FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., who said on Sunday the UN arbitral award favoring the Philippine position in the South China Sea is “nonnegotiable,” held a “frank but cordial” virtual discussion on Tuesday with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The video call, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), was made starting at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and lasted one hour.
Journalists requested the DFA to provide a more substantial context of the discussion, as they wanted to find out how the Chinese envoy reacted to Locsin’s strong statement, but the response was in broad terms.
Dr. Emmanuel R. Fernandez, executive director of the Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office, replied, saying “the matter was raised, among others, during the discussion.”
“Both sides articulated their respective positions in exchanges that were frank, open but cordial throughout,” Fernandez said in his brief reply.
US-China cold war?
A day after the two foreign minister’s video call, Manila’s ambassador to China said the relations between the United States and China are now at their lowest point.
The trade war between the two superpowers is an attempt by the US to roll back China’s rise, Ambassador to China Jose Santiago “Chito” Sta. Romana said during a zoom forum organized by the Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU).
He said 60 percent of the intellectuals he talked to in China believe that a new Cold War between the two superpowers has started, but 90 percent of the Chinese are confident they would be able to withstand the American pressure.
Asked what is behind America’s unwillingness to see that China had achieved economic supremacy, the ambassador said the United States remains the sole superpower in the world following World War II and the collapse of the Soviet Union, “and the United States is not willing to be number 2.”
He said it is possible that any wrong move by any side can result in further conflict. “Given the current situation, it bears watching in the next few months.”
He added: “I hope the rivalry will not lead to wider conflict but serve us a point of reflection; they want to resolve this through more discussion.”
Ties in ‘new normal’
On the Wang-Locsin video call on Tuesday, the DFA statement said “Secretary Locsin reiterated the importance of continued dialogue to propel Philippines-China cooperation forward across various fronts, under the “new normal” brought about by the global Covid-19 pandemic.”
It added that the two foreign ministers recognized that Philippines-China bilateral relations have achieved a positive turnaround and a sound momentum of development through the joint efforts and mutual trust of both sides.
“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,” reported the DFA statement.
The Philippines and China, despite the friendly attitude between President Duterte and President Xi Jinping, continue to be at loggerheads on the South China Sea (SCS) issue.
The Philippines claims victory over the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration dismissing China’s “excessive” claim over the disputed waters, believed to harbor vast marine resources and untapped oil and gas reserves. The tribunal had shot down China’s repeated reference to its “historical claims” on which it anchors its expansion in the SCS.
However, China rejected the tribunal’s ruling, first by not participating in the deliberations, and second by ignoring the final decision, sticking to its historical claim of the vast sea, marked by a nine-dash line.
And, despite both sides agreeing in principle to a joint development of the West Philippine Sea in an area the country calls Recto Bank (Reed Bank), China’s militia continues to harass Filipino fishermen. Resupply missions to another Philippine occupied island, called Ayungin, are being blocked. A rusty transport ship, the BRP Sierra Madre was intentionally grounded there to serve as an outpost of the Philippine Navy in Ayungin Shoal.
China still cautious
Sta. Romana said at the moment, China at least is deterred not make further advances given the current balance of power.
At the moment, he said the US remains an economic superpower and the current trade war is one of its attempts to prevent China from overtaking it economically.
Elon Musk, the American entrepreneur behind Tesla and Space X CEO, had predicted that the Chinese economy will surpass the United States’ at least twofold. The two are the world’s two largest economies, although the US economy is currently larger.
Musk said China overtaking the American economy would likely cause increased tension between the two countries, which are already at odds on issues such as trade and 5G technology.
Sta. Romana, on the other hand, noted that the United States has also declared that it will not give up its primacy in the South China Sea, deeming it part of the Indo-Pacific strategy by the US, in its attempt to contain China.
“After World War II, the SCS was an American lake,” he said, adding, “the US statement pertains to maritime claims and not territorial claim.”
However, he said that although both sides don’t want to go to war in the SCS, there remains the risk of an unforeseen incident or miscommunication that could accidentally lead to a shooting war—one that could possibly involve the Philippines.
He cited the example of what happened on Hainan Island on April 1, 2001, when a United States Navy EP-3E Aries II signal intelligence aircraft and a People’s Liberation Army Navy J-8II interceptor fighter jet collided in midair.
“Our role would be to prevent both sides from going to war by engaging in diplomatic, legal and political sphere to prevent bloodshed,” Sta. Romana said.
He warned those expressing a confrontational approach toward China to reconsider their stance, insisting that “the Philippines should want to approach our problem through diplomatic means in asserting our territorial rights.”
In our dealings with China, he wanted to clarify that “we do not want to give up an inch of the maritime features under our control.” He said, “We try to do that through negotiations and to build up our deterrence capability, which is why we improve Pagasa Island, which is under our control.”
He said Manila has reached a modus vivendi with China that there would be no reclamation in Scarborough Shoal, no blockade in Ayungin, and no objection to improve Pagasa,” which recently has completed a beaching ramp to accommodate ships.
“The Chinese will react if we build permanent structures in Ayungin and Sandy Cay, which were not there two years ago,” he said. The cay is a sand bar which is believed to have been part of the atolls and rocks that China excavated to create their man-made islands.
“Basically there have been red lines drawn,” the ambassador said, saying, it is important “to understand what we’re claiming, and that our stand in the Kalayaaan Islang Group (KIG) is [that it is] part of our territory.”
“The Chinese claim the whole SCS, including Kalayaan islands, that’s why there’s a conflict, so we do it through quiet diplomacy, bilateral consultation.”
“But this is not enough. Our point is that we’re doing the best under the circumstances. We lost Scarborough Shoal because of wrong tactics,” he said, adding that if the Philippines makes another wrong move in the SCS, “It will pounce on you, simply because they’re stronger.”
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