Negotiating over a gun barrel
China can show good faith by removing all obstacles to the binding Code of Conduct that has been languishing in dead-end negotiations for more than a decade.
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Daily TribuneChina can show good faith by removing all obstacles to the binding Code of Conduct that has been languishing in dead-end negotiations for more than a decade.
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Filipinos must close ranks with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to fend off the barrage of lies that accompany the increasingly belligerent Chinese actions in the West Philippine Sea, or WPS.
Speaking through its regular mouthpieces, China restated its claim that "the Philippines had agreed to tow away its warship that was illegally grounded on Ren'ai Reef (Ayungin Shoal) in 1999.
It spiced up its deception by asserting that when the Philippines previously sent supplies to the warship, "with no building materials allowed, it had informed China."
Similar to its previous declarations, it did not name the source of the supposed commitments.
Beijing's revelation that resupplies were allowed to the BRP Sierra Madre because, previously, permission was sought must be looked into since it was a clear surrender of sovereignty.
Yet, without proof, China's allegations should be treated as lies that are meant to drive a wedge between the Marcos administration, which Beijing alleges to be an American pawn, and the Filipino people.
Beijing maintains that the Philippines is guilty of provocation for the steady stream of ships going to the Ayungin Shoal, including the recent Christmas caravan that was aborted after China again used water cannons to disable the lead ship.
The Asian giant called the aggressive actions of the China Coast Guard "conducting law enforcement" in the maritime territory to which it asserts ownership based on historical data.
"The CCG took restriction measures when Philippine vessels again trespassed into waters off a Chinese reef in the South China Sea and intentionally rammed a Chinese ship," according to a state-controlled publication.
The mouthpiece also cited a "tacit understanding with China," which was again undefined. It added accusations that the US has fueled the Philippines' "audacity of provocations."
The Philippines has been clear in its position which is based on the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration, or PCA, ruling that invalidated the nine-dash line claim to which China ascribes its historical rights.
The ruling also affirmed the country's entitlement to its exclusive economic zone, or EEZ.
President Marcos has consistently stated that China has been infringing on the country's sovereignty as defined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS-backed award of the arbitral tribunal.
China and the Philippines are signatories to UNCLOS but, regrettably, the United States has refused to ratify it.
Thus, the US uses freedom of navigation as the basis for its involvement in containing the aggressive push of China in the maritime area.
Maritime engagements between the Asian neighbors have increased in frequency and severity. The last two days saw the use of long-range acoustic devices against the crew of Philippine vessels.
Beijing is now calling for a return to the negotiating table, yet it does not allow flexibility as it has no intention of recognizing the ruling of the arbitral body, nor is it ready to subject its historical claim to scrutiny.
Instead, it wants bilateral negotiations where it could seduce the Philippines with promises of economic support in exchange for the latter closing its eyes to the trampling of its sovereign rights.
China, for instance, can show good faith by removing all obstacles to the binding Code of Conduct that has been languishing in dead-end negotiations for more than a decade.
