MANILA, Philippines — Amid the maritime dispute over territories on the West Philippine Seas and other domestic issues, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. acknowledged that the “warm ties” between the Philippines and China “has not cooled” and even bloomed into a “new partnership for mutual profit and progress.”
In his two-page message on the 45th anniversary of the Philippine-China ties on Tuesday, the country’s top diplomat, however, made no reference at all about Chinese aggression on the WPS, which has long been the thorn in the diplomatic ties of the two countries.
Locsin’s message instead focused on how the country is grateful for the friendship offered by its biggest Asian neighbor.
“Among the first full state visits made by the new President of the newly restored Philippine democracy was to China. It came off very well and most warmly like a visit to long lost relatives… After all, the People’s Republic of China was among the first to recognize the restored democracy and its elected government,” he said.
“The feeling of warm friendship has not cooled, let alone been lost, not even in our differences. But under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, that old friendship has flowered into a new partnership for mutual profit and progress,” he added.
He recalled how the late dictator, former President Ferdinand Marcos “boldly” established diplomatic relations with the Asian economic powerhouse.
“Since then there has never been a break in the friendship of our peoples,” he said.
Locsin ended his message with “heartfelt greetings and warmest best wishes” to the Filipino and Chinese people.
“The East is Red with the warmth of Filipino-Chinese friendship,” he said.
Manila and Beijing is locked in a maritime dispute and in 2013, the Philippines filed a case before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague in The Netherlands challenging China’s sweeping claim of nearly the entire South China Sea.
The Hague-based court then ruled in favor of the Philippines in July 2016 invalidating China’s nine-dash line.
Duterte has been criticized for setting aside the landmark 2016 arbitral ruling against Beijing’s mythical nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea.
China refused to recognize the ruling, continuing its aggression in the disputed waters and building artificial islands to house military facilities.
The President avoided directly confronting Beijing over the maritime dispute in exchange for investments and loans.
Last April, the Philippines lodged two diplomatic protests against China’s recent aggression, as the Philippines’ attention was focused in battling the coronavirus in the mainland.