Palace: Duterte says Chinese aggression in West PH Sea are ‘irritants’

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte described the continued Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea as “irritants,” including the swarming of Chinese maritime militia in the Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Duterte mentioned this to Chinese President Xi Jinping during their bilateral meeting in Beijing on April 25.

“The President said there have been irritants because of that ruling,” Panelo said, referring to the United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal in The Hague, which invalidated Beijing’s sweeping claims to almost all of the South China Sea but China chose to ignore.

He said Duterte mentioned that “there have been irritants arising from the ruling and there will be challenges.”

While Duterte did not specifically mention the series of incidents in the disputed sea, Panelo explained what the President meant by “irritants.”

“What the President raised were ‘the irritants.’ So it refers to everything there — from the presence of the ships, from the alleged harassment, all of that… those irritants,” he said.

Before his fourth China trip, the Philippines has filed diplomatic protests against China for its incursions into the West Philippine Sea, including the presence of Chinese maritime militia near Pag-asa Island, which is within the country’s exclusive economic zone.

Panelo confirmed that during the bilateral meeting, Xi said China does not recognize the 2016 Hague ruling.

But Panelo said both Duterte and Xi agreed to resolve the issue through bilateral negotiations.
“Both of them agree that the mechanism of bilateral relations will be used to resolve the conflict,” he said.

The Palace official said the specific issues and incidents in the West Philippine Sea would be discussed in the bilateral negotiations.

“That will be discussed there,” he said.

The Philippines and China have chosen to settle the maritime dispute through the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea established in 2016.

But despite this, a series of Chinese incursions have been reported in the disputed sea.

Asked why the Philippines should continue to trust China, Panelo quoted Xi’s remarks, saying “Allies strengthen each other. Allies do not destroy each other.”
“What is important, the President (Duterte) is very assertive on our principled stand that that territory is ours,” he said. /ee

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