Philippine public opinion demands China respect the East Sea ruling

The spokesman for the Philippine President said on August 30 that China had informed President Duterte, who is visiting Beijing, that its position on the East Sea issue is not negotiable.

China has repeatedly rejected the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the South China Sea, claiming that the ruling has no legal basis. Currently, President Duterte is under domestic pressure to urge China to comply with the ruling, especially after a Chinese ship sank a Philippine fishing boat in the South China Sea in June 2019.

During the meeting with President Duterte on August 29, President Xi Jinping still stated China's stance of not recognizing the arbitration court's ruling and "not changing its position," President Duterte's spokesman said.

According to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, President Xi Jinping stressed that the two countries should “put aside disputes, eliminate external interference in the South China Sea issue” and “make further progress in joint activities on oil and gas exploration at sea.”

The mention of the South China Sea ruling in this meeting marked a change in stance by President Duterte, who restored frozen diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China after he took office in 2016. Previously, Mr. Duterte had "ignored" the arbitration court's ruling and supported trade and investment relations with China.

Just before Mr. Duterte's trip, Professor Renato de Castro - De La Salle University in the Philippines - commented: "At the present time, Mr. Duterte has nothing to lose because he only has 3 years left in his term. He may raise the East Sea issue even though Mr. Xi will basically ignore or reject it. That is a classic trick!"

Great pressure on Mr. Duterte

Many lawmakers from the left-wing Bayan Muna Party of the Philippines said on August 30 that President Duterte should ask China to dismantle its illegal military facilities in the East Sea. Mr. Neri Colmenares - leader of the Bayan Muna Party and Congressman Carlos Zarate pointed out that the above request should be mentioned together with the ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal, which rejected Beijing's unreasonable sovereignty claims in the East Sea and declared the Philippines' rights to its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Mr. Neri Colmenares emphasized that President Duterte should have mentioned the ruling of the International Arbitral Tribunal during his first visit to China, not after 3 years, until this 5th visit.

“Mr. Duterte should ask China to dismantle its illegal military facilities on the reefs in the South China Sea in 2018, which violate the arbitral ruling. If Mr. Duterte had mentioned the ruling during his first visit to China, Beijing would not have been able to do so,” said Congressman Colmenares.

“President Duterte should demand complete demilitarization of the South China Sea to dismantle Chinese military bases. If China refuses, we can submit a resolution to the United Nations General Assembly, requesting the United Nations to intervene and monitor the demilitarization of disputed areas,” Colmenares added.

Meanwhile, Congressman Carlos Zarate emphasized the importance of President Duterte's commitment to complying with the arbitral tribunal's ruling, which he said was the basis for some people to vote in support of Mr. Duterte to become President in 2016./.

Hong Anh