Speaking at separate venues, Chinese Ambassador to Manila Zhao Jianhua and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario presented contrasting positions on the long-standing territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Late Monday, Zhao took a swipe at the Philippine-proposed multi-level approach in dealing with the overlapping claims in the region.
In his speech during the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China at the Makati Shangri-la late Monday, the Chinese envoy insisted that there is stability in the disputed region, and that there is “no problem with freedom of navigation.”
“China does not approve of exaggerating and still less sensationalizing the so-called tension in the South China Sea,” Zhao said in one of his rare public appearances since assuming post early this year.
But while Zhao tried to downplay the tension sparked by the dispute, Del Rosario, in his speech in New York during the United Nations General Assembly said the Philippines is concerned with the unilateral actions of ‘one nation’ (referring to China) which threatens peace and stability in the region, and insisted that arbitration is the best solution to the dispute.
“The Philippines believes the core instrument in resolving maritime disputes is the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Seas or UNCLOS. We have invited a state party to settle our maritime dispute peacefully through UNCLOS including its provisions on dispute settlement, specifically Arbitration under Annex 7 of the Convention,” Del Rosario said.
“However, it (referring to China) has refused to join us and has continued to unilaterally embark on an expansionist claim that violates legitimate rights of the Philippines and other literal neighbors under UNCLOS such as their exclusive economic zones and continental shelves. Instead of peacefully resolving the maritime disputes within the framework of UNCLOS, the said state embarked on a series of dangerous, reckless and forceful activities in an attempt to impose unilateral change in the maritime status quo of the South China Sea.”
Zhao, however, claimed that China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), of which the Philippines is a member, already found a way to resolve the territorial issue.
Zhao referred to the “dual-track” approach Beijing had proposed since the beginning of the dispute in 2012. That track assumes that bilateral negotiations between countries directly affected by the disputes was the way to go forward.
The approach also indicated that peace and stability must be “jointly maintained” by China and Asean countries.
“Consultations and negotiations by countries directly concerned are the most effective and viable way to resolve disputes, which also conform to international law and common practices and constitute one of the most important provisions in the DOC,” Zhao said, referring to the 2002 Declaration on the Code of Conduct (DOC) signed between China and Asean.
The non-binding edict hopes to reduce tensions in the region and prevent claimant-countries--China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan--from aggressively pursuing their claims.
Zhao claimed that “experiences over the years” proved that as long as parties are committed to the dual-track approach and there are “positive efforts” to interact along the two tracks, “China and ASEAN countries are well capable of effectively managing and properly handling specific disputes and maintaining overall peace, stability and cooperation in the region.”
“China is ready to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Asean to deepen practical cooperation within the framework of the DOC and push for the early conclusion of a code of conduct of the parties in the South China Sea [COC] through consensus,” the envoy said.
A more binding agreement, the COC is enshrined under the DOC although China has been known to drag its feet in concluding it with Asean. By
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