President Rodrigo Duterte is disgusted with the actuation of the Chinese Coast Guard vessels which blocked and fired water cannons on two Philippine boats transporting supplies to military personnel in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal on November 16.
During his attendance at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)-China Special Summit via video conference on Monday, Duterte said the South China Sea issue is a strategic challenge that cannot be solved by force.
He urged stakeholders to exercise self-restraint, avoid the escalation of tensions and work towards the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law.
“We abhor the recent event in the Ayungin Shoal and view with grave concern other similar developments. This does not speak well of the relations between our nations and our partnership,” he said.
Duterte pointed out that the sea row should be resolved in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award.
“UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award provide legal clarity…pointing us to a just and fair solution to our disputes. We must fully utilize these legal tools to ensure that the South China Sea remains a sea of peace, stability and prosperity,” he added.
He likewise told China to remain committed to the conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.
“There is simply no other way out of this colossal problem but the rule of law,” he said.
Ayungin Shoal is part of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), which is an integral part of the Philippines, as well as the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, and over which the Philippines has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.
It is located about 105 nautical miles off Palawan, Philippines, well within the country’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. earlier conveyed “in the strongest terms” to Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing the Philippines’ “outrage, condemnation, and protest” of the Ayungin Shoal incident.
China as Asean’s strategic partner
Meanwhile, Duterte also underlined the depth and breadth of the 30-year partnership between Asean and China, adding that “China deserves its status as Asean’s Comprehensive Strategic Partner”.
He noted China’s timely assistance to Asean’s Covid-19 pandemic response efforts, noting that China was the first dialogue partner Asean engaged when the pandemic broke out and the first to provide life-saving vaccines and medical supplies.
“Together we’re making headway in pandemic control allowing us to reopen our economies and go full speed with recovery efforts,” he said.
Duterte said that enhanced multilateralism and connectivity will be the drivers of inclusive and comprehensive recovery.
He welcomed China’s ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement, a mega trade deal between 10 Asean member states.
Ratifications from at least six Asean countries and three of the other five non-Asean countries are needed for the trade deal to take effect.
Once in effect, the RCEP will eliminate as much as 90 percent of the tariffs on goods traded between its signatories over the next 20 years.
Citing the recently concluded 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, Duterte reiterated the Philippines’ call for urgent climate action anchored on the principles of justice and fairness.
He pushed for the protection and preservation of biodiversity and the marine environment through sustained cooperation by supporting the work of the Asean Centre for Biodiversity hosted by the Philippines, among others. (PNA)