Philippines hails Clinton remarks on disputed sea

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. AFP

Philippine officials on Tuesday praised US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s call for a peaceful resolution of territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), saying she had bolstered Manila’s stance.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Clinton’s backing for a peaceful resolution of the disputes and the passage of a “code of conduct” in the disputed sea were objectives the Philippines had also been seeking.

“We have long been trying to finalize (the code). This code of conduct will minimize any confrontation in the area,” Gazmin told reporters on Tuesday.

“That is what we have been seeking. We need to speak in one voice. If we are united we can deal with a major country and we can pursue a united solution within Asean and third-party countries,” he added.

Reflection of Manila position

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, who pushed for a united stand during the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) in Cambodia in July, said Clinton’s call reflected Manila’s position.

“Asean was organized to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region.  If there is a threat to freedom of navigation and unimpeded commerce in the South China Sea, there should be a collective response not only from Asean but from other nations who may be consequenced,” Del Rosario said.

“Prevailing disputes must as well be discussed not bilaterally but multilaterally as there are several nations involved.  We must pursue a peaceful resolution in accord with international law including Unclos (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” Del Rosario said in a text message while on a visit to Syria.

“There should be no use of or threat of force,” he stressed.

China ships still there

Two Asean members—the Philippines and Vietnam, which also lay claim to the disputed areas—have both accused China of pressing its territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea more aggressively. Fellow Asean members Malaysia and Brunei, along with Taiwan, also claim parts of the sea.

In April, Chinese and Philippine ships had a face-off in Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal), an outcropping of rocks in the West Philippine Sea off the western coast of the Philippines.

While the Philippines has withdrawn its vessels in a gesture to China, officials say Chinese ships are still at the shoal.

China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the sea, which is believed to hold vast amounts of oil and gas, is one of the region’s most important fishing grounds and has shipping lanes that are vital to global trade.

Assistant Foreign Secretary Raul Hernandez, spokesperson of the Department of Foreign Affairs, stressed on Tuesday that the Philippines was seeking a “peaceful, rules-based and also multilateral approach” to settling the disputes in the West Philippine Sea.

Hernandez also called for the speedy approval of the code of conduct among rival claimants to minimize tensions in the sea.  Reports from Tarra Quismundo, Marlon Ramos and AFP