Duterte on China's claim: 'Is it right to claim a whole ocean?'

File Photo
File Photo

AFTER repeatedly refusing to confront China over the South China Sea, President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday, May 31, questioned the bigger nation's claims and said he would ask Chinese President Xi Jinping to speed up the creation of a legally binding Code of Conduct (COC) governing the disputed sea.

In a keynote speech during Nikkei's 25th Future of Asia Forum, Duterte said he "loves" China for extending help to the Philippines, but urged President Xi to accelerate the process of coming up with a binding code.

"I love China. it has helped us a bit. But it behooves upon us to ask: Is it right for a country to claim a whole ocean?" Duterte said.

"We are friends with China. I am the moderator country for China and the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). And the last thing I heard was the conduct of the sea is just about two years away. I would not want to impose my own --- it would be my last word, but if I get a chance to visit Beijing again, I’ll try to talk to President Xi Jinping," he added.

China and the Asean are actively working on a COC in the South China Sea, in an effort to ease the tensions in the busy waterway.

Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam are the four Asean member-states that are claiming parts of the South China Sea. China and Taiwan, meantime, are claiming most of the disputed sea.

If completed, the binding sea code will maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.

Duterte also revealed his intent for the US to join the negotiations with China on efforts to resolve South China Sea disputes, stressing that there would be no progress between the bilateral negotiations between Asean countries and Beijing.

He also noted that there would be "trouble," if the sea disputes take longer to be resolved, noting that "because of the absence of the conduct of the sea, France, Britain, America are testing the waters."

"This is not a testing of waters of temperature, my God. It is really testing who can fire the first shot. And I am sad and bewildered, not angry because I cannot do anything. But I just hope that China would come up with conduct of the sea soon and somebody should reach out to the United States. Because if you leave it to them to talk, nothing will happen," he said.

"There is so much animosity covered by sweet talking about how they desire to have an agreement. But nobody is pushing and the intrusions, as far as China is concerned, it's in there," he added.

Duterte wants the US to refrain from meddling in the ongoing negotiations with China on the South China Sea claims.

He also sought a more high-level discussions to urge China to hasten the completion of COC in the South China Sea.

"It would do us well, maybe on a higher ministerial level to talk about this and try to prod China to come up with it, also to shorten the possibility to make sure that the law of averages is reduced to the barest minimum. If it's like fighting can erupt in 25 percent, maybe we can reduce it to 15," Duterte said.

"But there has to be somebody, not identified with any country that China does not like, because there will never be a sort of an American China talking seriously about territories. It will just end up in a shouting match," he added.

Meantime, the President acknowledged that China's trade battle with the US is turning into a "protracted war on global trade and investments everywhere."

He prodded the two powerful nations to ease their trade tensions.

"The global balance of power is also shifting from West to East. And, as a result, our region is yet becoming an arena for big power competition with all its attendant risks and opportunities," Duterte said.

"We are deeply concerned about the ongoing trade war between the US and China. It is creating uncertainty and tension. It is causing downward stressors on the global economy. It is becoming a protracted war on the global and trade investments everywhere," he added.

Since before US President Donald Trump assumed office in 2016, he has been complaining about China's allegedly unfair trading practices.

Amid the US's ongoing trade war with China, Washington has so far raised tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports from 10 percent to 25 percent, promoting Beijing to retaliate with additional levies on around $60 billion of US imports due to take effect in June.

There have been efforts between the two countries to end the trade war through negotiations, but tensions escalated earlier this month after the Trump administration accused China of backtracking on commitments to change its trade practices.

Reports quoted Trump on Thursday, May 30, as saying that the trade talks between Washington and Beijing were "doing very well."

Duterte, for his part, expressed hope that the two nations would eventually agree to end their trade war.

"The world is watching in earnest. There must be a resolution soon," the President said. (SunStar Philippines)

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