MANILA, Philippines–The Philippine government cannot compel China to agree for a third party participation in an investigation into the June 9 sinking of a Philippine fishing boat in Recto Bank, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said.
“If it doesn’t want to, then, you cannot do anything about it. So, in that situation, assuming that there will be a disagreement as to the factual findings, I guess, the two parties will just have to sort it out, continue to negotiate until a consensus is arrived,” Guevarra said at a press conference.
China and the Philippines have agreed to a joint investigation on the June 9 incident where 22 Filipino fishermen were left floating in an open water after their vessel was damaged and sank by a Chinese fishing vessel.
However, China rejected the participation of a third party investigator in case there is a disagreement on the findings in the joint probe.
“We cannot force a party to do something it doesn’t want to do,” Guevarra said. (Editor: Jonathan P. Vicente)
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