MALACAÑANG on Monday, May 21 expressed "very serious" concern over China's reported move to land bombers on islands and reefs in the disputed South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), but said President Rodrigo Duterte does not consider this an immediate threat.
"Right now, the President does not see any immediate threat. As I said, we do not consider China to be a threat to our security right now because of our new-found friendship with China," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. told reporters.
Roque, however, noted that the Philippines, along with nine other Southeast Asian nations, recognized the importance of "non militarization and self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could further complicate the situation in the West Philippine Sea."
He added that the Philippine government reaffirmed the need "to enhance mutual trust and confidence, avoid actions that would escalate tension, and [seek] peaceful resolution of disputes, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN (United Nations) Convention on the Law of the Sea."
He acknowledged that the presence of China's nuclear-capable bombers in the contested waters may have adverse repercussions in the ongoing efforts to maintain "peace and stability" in the region.
"We take note of the reports that appeared (about the supposed presence of China's bombers in the South China Sea) and we express our serious concerns anew on its impact on constructive efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region," he told a press conference.
"We view it with very serious concern," the Palace official added.
He reassured that the current administration was exerting all efforts to address China's continued militarization of the South China Sea through diplomatic approach.
"We will again exert diplomatic initiatives. Obviosusly, we're in no position to physically stop them. But we will take all intiiatives open to us," Roque said. "We've always expressed serious concern. It's not as if we take it sitting down."
Roque also said that the Philippines would raise the recent developments in the South China Sea during the bilateral consultative mechanism between the Philippines and China, which will be held by June.
"So the matter will be brought up in the bilateral mechanism that we have established on the West Philippine Sea specifically with China," he said.
China's state-run newspaper, People's Daily, on May 18 uploaded a video on its official Twitter account, showing the conduct of take-off and landing trainings of Beijing's strategic bombers, including its self-developed H-6K, on an island reef in the South China Sea.
China's bombers landed on Woody Island, China's largest base in the Paracel Islands, the Washington-based think tank Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) claimed.
The Chinese Air Force had said the drills were carried out to improve Beijing's ability "to reach all territory, conduct strikes at any time and strike in all directions."
The AMTI noted that nearly "all of the Philippines," also a South China Sea claimant, "falls within the radius of the bombers," including Manila and all five Philippine military bases earmarked for development under the United States-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. (SunStar Philippines)