PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte admitted Wednesday, September 4, that he was “not satisfied” with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s response to Manila’s arbitral win against Beijing’s extensive claims to hotly-contested South China Sea.
The President, in a press conference, said that during his eighth bilateral meeting with Xi in China on August 29, he reiterated his stance that the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled “in favor” of the Philippines.
Duterte, however, noted that the Chinese leader likewise maintained that China would not acknowledge the sea ruling.
“Sabi ko, ‘Mr. President, I am here. But one of the purposes [of my visit]... the most important is I am reiterating the arbitral award in our favor.’ Sabi niya, ‘Our statement is we will not budge. Ayaw naming pagusapan kasi amin iyan. We own the property. Why should we talk to you?’ Parang ganon. Pero almost [with] respect,” he added.
(I told him, “Mr. President, I am here. But one of the purposes [of my visit]... the most important is I am reiterating the arbitral award in our favor... He said, “Our statement is we will not budge. We don’t want to talk about it. We own the property. Why should we talk to you?” That’s his statement but he said with respect.)
The Permanent Court of Arbitration, in a decision released on July 12, 2016, ruled in favor of Manila’s petition against Beijing’s claims to almost the entire South China Sea.
Duterte acknowledged that their opposing views with regard to sea disputes would “remain a problem,” but admitted that he could not challenge Xi’s position, since the Chinese leader is “under stress” amid pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China.
He, however, promised that he would wait for the proper timing to question China’s sweeping claims to South China Sea.
“Sabi ko (I said), it will remain a problem. It will be a thorn. It’s like a sore thumb that sticks out painfully every day. Ako naman (But for me), out of courtesy, sabi ko (I said), while I will not maybe insist on your answer now, I am not satisfied with your answer but I will not ask for any other answer,” Duterte said.
“I’ll just remain where I am, where I start, considering that you are under stress by incident dito sa (here in) Hong Kong. May problema sila eh. So mainit ang ulo niyan. So i-timing mo. And the art of diplomacy, palaro-laro iyan (They have a problem so he’s hot-tempered. So wait for the right timing. And the art of diplomacy, you have to play with it),” he added.
On August 30, Malacañang said Duterte and Xi talked about the arbitral ruling on South China Sea in a “very friendly” manner.
Despite his talks with Xi about the sea ruling, Duterte admitted that the Philippines could still not afford to go to war with China.
“China, nagma-magandang loob (it has good intentions). You know, it’s not easy to have a tiff, a controversy with your neighbor,” Duterte said.
“That’s the plain truth there. You know, if we have the... Might is right iyan eh. Hindi ako pwedeng makipag-giyera. Maubos talaga ang Pilipino diyan. Pero ang totoo niyan, hindi natin kaya. I have to be frank with the Filipino. Hindi natin kaya and it is not good to go to war,” he added.
(That’s the plain truth there. You know, if we have the... Might is right there. I cannot wage a war. Filipinos will end up defeared. The truth is we cannot fo it. I have to be frank with the Filipino. We cannot afford it and it is not good to go to war.)
Duterte, meantime, confirmed that he also discussed with Xi the planned Manila and Beijing’s joint exploration and development of oil and gas reserves in the resource-rich South China Sea.
Under the proposed joint exploration deal, the Philippines will get 60 percent of the oil and natural gas resources while China will take the remaining 40 percent.
Duterte noted that National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi would be part of the steering committee that would supervise the joint exploration. (SunStar Philippines)