DND chief: No good faith from China on fixing maritime rows

DND Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. (Photo: Department of National Defense – Philippines/Facebook)

By Priam Nepomuceno, Filane Cervantes, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Monday he is not inclined to believe that China is committed to settling maritime difference with other countries.

“Committed sila sa dialogue kaso sila lang ang naniniwala sa sinasabi nila. ‘Yan ang problema. Kung committed sila sa dialogue ‘yung kapanipaniwala naman, tapos nakalagay na naman may colatilla na committed to dialogue based on historical facts ba ang nakalagay (They are claiming that they are committed to dialogue but they are the only ones believing that. That’s the problem with their statement. If they are committed to dialogue, then it must be believable at least, they should not be putting the colatilla that they are committed to dialogue based on historical facts),” Teodoro said on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction Reduction (APMCDRRR) being held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

The actions of Beijing cannot be construed as a commitment to meaningful dialogue, Teodoro said.

“Anong klaseng dialogue ‘yun? Monologue na naman na sila lang ang naniniwala (What kind of dialogue is that? A monologue as they are ones only believing it),” he added.

In the recently concluded ASEAN Forum in Laos, the Chinese claimed that the situation at the South China Sea is “generally stable” and that Beijing is “committed to settling maritime differences with countries concerned through dialogue and consultation on the basis of respecting historical facts and international law.”

Teodoro said the Philippines is committed to resolving issues with China, provided that the country “is not being fooled.”

“I will not give a thought on whether or not China will align but let’s scrutinize their actions and what they are putting forward in the discussions on the Code of Conduct that I would like to see,” he said.

Teodoro maintained that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is constrained to exhaust all peaceful and pacific measures to settle the country’s territorial dispute with Beijing.

“The President also echoed that in saying that we cannot turn a blind, cast a blind eye or turn a blind eye on what is happening in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea. Nevertheless, the Philippines, the President, is constrained because of our constitution to exhaust all peaceful and pacific measures of settling territorial disputes,” he added.

Meanwhile, Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez commended President Marcos for raising China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea during the recent 27th ASEAN-China Summit attended by Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Laos.

“President Marcos Jr. boldly told him (Li) that economic and political issues are interconnected, and that China could not pretend that all is well on the economic front while there are tensions on the political and security front,” Rodriguez said in a statement on Monday.

Rodriguez also criticized Russia for helping China block a draft statement from ASEAN that expressed concern over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The draft was to be presented at the summit, which gathered 18 regional leaders, including ASEAN representatives.

“Russia should not have blocked the ASEAN statement. Moscow has no business meddling in disputes within our region,” said Rodriguez, adding that Russia’s action “was motivated by self-interest.”

Rodriguez further alleged that Russia’s support for China reflected gratitude for Beijing’s backing of Russia’s ongoing military operation in Ukraine.

The blocking of the ASEAN expression of concern prompted Laos, which chaired the East Asia Summit, to issue a unilateral statement on the conference.