Aquino: PH eyeing ‘another approach’ to resolve sea row with China

Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III responds to a question during a joint news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Parliament Hill Friday May 8, 2015 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

OTTAWA, Canada – President Benigno Aquino III said Friday morning (Friday evening in Manila) that the Philippines was exploring another option at seeking a resolution of the row with China in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

“Are there any other ways that we can persuade other countries? Once there is a determination or a clarification of exactly how UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) applies to this particular case, then there’s clarity and therefore the clarity comes as a basis of interaction for all parties concerned,” he said in a joint briefing with Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the Parliament Hill.

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“Are there other things that we can do? Yes, but I’m not liberty to tell you at this point in time because I will be probably advertising to the other side how to counter the next move that we have, which I think is imprudent on our behalf,” he added.

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Once he arrives in Manila from Vancouver, his last stop in his three-day state visit in Canada, Aquino said he would convene a meeting to discuss this other “next avenue or approach.”

Harper, for his part, issued a call for sobriety in the South China Sea.

“Typically, Canada does not take positions on maritime territorial dispute per se. What I would say is that there should not be provocative or unilateral actions in this regard. That all parties should respect international responsibilities and any international ruling on this matter,” Harper said in a joint briefing.