MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday that the country's row with China over the Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea would not affect vaccine cooperation from the regional power and said it would not define the relations between the countries.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of National Defense have demanded that the Chinese vessels leave the area, which the Chinese Embassy calls Niu'e Jiao and says belongs to China. The embassy also called on Defense Secretary Lorenzana to avoid making "unprofessional remarks which may further fan irrational emotions."
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At a press briefing Monday afternoon, Palace spokesperson Harry Roque quoted an official statement from Duterte, saying that the differences the two countries have over the South China Sea "will not define" their bilateral relations.
"We will continue to resolve the issues on Julian Felipe through diplomatic channels and peaceful means," Roque quoted the president as saying.
“Whatever differences we have with China will not define our bilateral relations and it will not be an obstacle to the overall positive trajectory of our bilateral friendly relations and our deepening cooperation in the pandemic response, including vaccine cooperation and in post-pandemic economic recovery," he also said.
Aside from expressing hope for a peaceful resolution, Duterte did not comment on the issue itself.
The president's own Cabinet members — particularly Lorenzana and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. — have already rallied against Beijing and demanded that its ships vacate the area, though China's Embassy in Manila continues to wrongfully claim that the territory is part of its Nansha Islands.
Lawmakers including senators Risa Hontiveros and Panfilo Lacson have also slammed what they said was the "continued deceit and aggression" on Beijing's part and the lack of action from Manila.
Carlito Galvez Jr., who serves as chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, also asserted that the West Philippine Sea tensions are completely separate from the two countries' pandemic responses.
Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio earlier pointed out that Beijing seems to be appeasing the Philippines by donating COVID-19 jabs to soften the blow as its maritime militia swarms Philippine waters. China has already donated one million Sinovac coronavirus vaccines to the Philippines as of this post.
To this day, Beijing continues to reject the arbitral ruling that the Philippines won in The Hague in 2016 based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which held that China's sweeping nine-dash line claim has no legal basis.
Duterte has publicly asserted that he cannot do anything on the maritime dispute as doing so, he falsely claimed, would directly mean going to war with them. — Franco Luna