Manila's stance on South China Sea angers Beijing
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The Philippine government's latest statement on the South China Sea territory dispute is an attempt to win sympathy from the international community, in the hope of strengthening its bargaining position with China, Chinese observers said on Wednesday.
On Monday, the Philippine Foreign Ministry issued a statement criticising what it sees as China’s tough position on territories in the South China Sea.
Manila said that a Chinese statement on July 12 was baseless and that China’s hardline position made it impossible to continue negotiations, forcing the Philippines to finally resort to international arbitration.
By taking the role of “victim”, the Philippines hopes to gain international support, especially from countries that have maritime disputes with China, said Wu Shicun, head of the National Institute of South China Sea Studies.
Xu Liping, a researcher on Asia-Pacific studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Science, echoed this view, saying that Manila is trying to create sympathetic public opinion ahead of consultations on the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea in September.
In a statement on Tuesday, China Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that Beijing regrets that Manila “stated that it has become impossible for it to continue bilateral discussions with China”, and said the Chinese government was “dissatisfied with its rejection of diplomatic negotiations and the closure of the door to dialogue”.
According to Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez, a United Nations arbitration tribunal was convened on July 11.
In January, the Philippines sent China a diplomatic note suggesting international arbitration. China rejected the suggestion and returned the note in February. But Manila stuck to its plan and started the process of compulsory dispute settlement procedures through the UN, although Hua said that such procedures should not apply to the ongoing dispute.
The root of the problem, said Hua, was the illegal occupation by the Philippines of certain parts of China’s Nansha Islands group. The spokeswoman added that there had been ongoing communication between Beijing and Manila on the issue. “The two sides had reached an important consensus on carrying out cooperation in a step-by-step manner and resolving bilateral disputes through negotiations,” Hua said.
