China proposals on WPS contrast to nat’l interest

The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday confirmed that it had received several maritime-related proposals from China, but noted that many of them were in contrast to the Philippines’ interests.

In a statement, the department also debunked earlier reports that the Philippine government “ignored” China’s proposals to address the maritime row in the South China Sea.

“The DFA received last year a number of concept papers from China on various maritime-related proposals. In no way did the Philippine government ignore China’s proposals,” the DFA said.

According to the DFA, the Philippine government immediately undertook “a serious study and consideration of all of them” upon receipt of the Chinese proposals.

“The DFA had lengthy and in-depth consultations with the various Philippine government agencies concerned, which have primary competence or a functional mandate over the topics and issues in the Chinese concept papers,” it said.

It added, “Several rounds of internal discussions and deliberations were also undertaken within the DFA to consider the Chinese proposals.”

“While a few proposals were deemed somewhat workable, many of the remaining Chinese proposals were determined, after careful study, scrutiny, and deliberation within the Philippine government, to be contrary to our national interests,” it said.

The department noted that “any agreement or understanding to be reached with any foreign government should not only be in accordance with our mutual interests but should also not undermine the Philippine Constitution.”

Likewise, it stressed that any agreements with China that tackle the issue of the West Philippine Sea should not “denigrate” the “legally settled rights” of the Philippines under international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS.

It also noted that the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award must be considered before finalizing any agreement with China that does not acknowledge the ruling.

After determining the proposals’ validity, the department said the Philippine government “submitted counterproposals last year, which were products of extensive internal consultations.”

“Instead of considering the Philippine counterproposals, however, the Chinese side presented its own counter-proposals, which again did not reflect our interests, especially on issues such as the South China Sea,” it said.

“These matters were further discussed in person during the 8th Bilateral Consultation Meeting on the South China Sea, which was convened in Shanghai on 17 January 2024,” it added.