Addressing the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario on Friday took China to task anew over the South China Sea dispute, expressing the Philippines’ hope the rule of law would prevail in the peaceful settlement of the dispute.
Del Rosario, in the session “The United Nations at 70: The Road Ahead for Peace, Security and Human Rights,” challenged China to act in accordance with its own declarations to lower tensions in the South China Sea.
“On our dispute with China, a long-time partner and neighbor, we also hope that we will finally see actions that are consistent with Beijing’s declarations so that genuine efforts to lower tensions in the South China Sea can succeed and the peaceful settlement of disputes can be obtained,” he said.
The Philippines in several fora slammed China’s “salami slicing and cabbage strategy” in enforcing its sweeping claims in the South China Sea, parts of which are claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
Del Rosario thanked the world leaders for the growing support from the international community for the peaceful resolution of the disputes in the South China Sea, which include the Philippines’ pending arbitration case.
“The Philippines believes the final outcome of this arbitration process would pave the way for a settlement of the maritime disputes.
“International law serves as the great equalizer among states, allowing small countries to stand on an equal footing with wealthier, more powerful states,” Del Rosario said.
The Philippines has invoked the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in challenging China’s claims and its reclamation work in the disputed sea.
On other issues, the foreign affairs chief said the Philippines would do its best to achieve the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, focusing on poverty reduction and social inclusion.
Del Rosario also said the Philippines would continue to play an active role in tackling the issues of climate change, resiliency and disaster risk reduction and management.
The Philippines is currently the president of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and intends to push for a meaningful outcome in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change 21st session of the Conference of Parties in Paris.
The Philippines would also continue to highlight the positive contributions of migrants to sustainable development in countries of origin, transit and destination, Del Rosario said.
“We deeply appreciate the United Nation’s recognition of the Philippines as a model of migration governance because of its comprehensiveness in terms of managed deployment, solid protection component, diaspora engagement and reintegration. Both the United Nations and the Philippines believe that migration governance is really about giving migrants a “human face,” he said.
Originally posted at 04:42 am | Sunday, October 4, 2015
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