Phl bent on arbitration in maritime dispute with China

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is resolved to seek through arbitration a lasting and durable solution to the maritime dispute with China after Vietnamese and Chinese officials agreed to settle their dispute peacefully, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario reiterated yesterday.

“The fact that Vietnam has been able to settle their issues bilaterally, I congratulate them,” Del Rosario told a press conference.

A report in Vietnamese newspaper Tuoi Tre said Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed last week that the two countries would settle disputes by peaceful measures based on international laws and not let the dispute affect the two countries’ relations as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea.

The agreement was made, along with others, during the three-day state visit of Sang to Beijing at the invitation of the Chinese president.

The report also said that the Vietnamese and Chinese pledged to carry out comprehensively and effectively the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) to maintain peace and stability in the area.

“We are fully resolved to seek through our arbitration case but we are open to bilateral consultation. But as I said, we are committed to defend what is ours,” Del Rosario stressed.

Sang requested that the two governments boost coordination to safeguard fishermen’s rights and interests.

He suggested that the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture coordinate in implementing the agreement to establish a hotline to resolve problems.

The Philippines and China reaffirmed their commitment to promote and expand their bilateral relations but reiterated the two countries’ established positions on the issue of the West Philippine Sea.

At the 19th Philippines-China Foreign Ministry Consultations (FMC) convened in Beijing on June 14, the Filipino and Chinese delegates discussed issues on the development of Philippines-China bilateral relations, focusing particularly on strengthening cooperation in trade and other economic areas, defense and security, socio-cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and cooperative endeavors between the two foreign ministries.

They also discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Evan Garcia and Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin led the Philippine and Chinese delegations, respectively.

The foreign ministry consultations were followed by a courtesy call by the Philippine delegation, led by Garcia, on Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during which both sides stressed the need to promote mutual trust and to cooperate in order to achieve tangible benefits for both countries.

They reiterated their commitment to work together to strengthen bilateral relations.

Del Rosario said on Sunday that the statement of a top US diplomat before the US Congress that there is no place for “coercion and bullying” in settling maritime disputes in the region highlights the challenges the Philippines is facing in the quest for a just and lasting peace in the region.

Danny Russell, the nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, declared during his Senate confirmation hearing US support for a peaceful approach to settling territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea.

China lays claim to nearly the entire South China Sea and the islands that are also being claimed by Japan in the East China Sea.

The area, delineated by the so-called nine-dash line of China, covers over 100 islets, atolls and reefs.

The Philippine claim in the Spratly Islands covers eight islands and reefs.

Aside from the Philippines and China, the Spratlys is also being claimed in whole or in part by Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia.

Rusell also said that it was “unacceptable” for China to demand only bilateral negotiations with the other claimants, and voiced strong US support for efforts by Southeast Asia to negotiate as a bloc and frame a “code of conduct” to manage the disputes – an issue to be taken up at regional security talks in Brunei later this month.

Russell’s statement, according to Del Rosario, was timely and relevant.

Del Rosario said that the Philippines remains committed to the peace and stability of the region and to safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with international law.