Phl rejects China’s ‘theater’ claim, upholds sovereignty

The Philippines on Monday dismissed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s claim that the country is acting on behalf of other nations in the South China Sea, calling on China to confront the core issue — its unlawful activities in the waters.

“The Philippines disagrees with the recent remarks of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi characterizing the developments and incidents in the South China Sea as mere theater staged under the direction of other countries,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.

The DFA urged China to “recognize that the Philippines is an independent and sovereign state whose actions and decisions are driven entirely by national interest and the interests and well-being of the Filipino people.”

“No creative analogy or play on words will mask the real issue, which is China’s refusal to abide by international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award, and the adverse effects of China’s disregard for the rules-based international order on Filipino communities genuinely affected by China’s illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive behavior at sea,” the DFA said.

It added: “We call on countries to be circumspect and to avoid actions and words that only contribute to tensions in the region.”

On Saturday, Wang called on the Philippines to halt its actions in the South China Sea based on a “screenplay” written by what it described as “external forces.”

“For every move on the sea by the Philippines, there is a screenplay written by external forces, the show is live-streamed by Western media, and the plot is invariably to smear China. People are not interested in watching the same performance again and again,” Wang said.

He said that China would continue to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in accordance with law.

“The Philippine side should stop misleading the international community, using the South China Sea issue to instigate disputes, and counting on external forces to undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea region,” he said.

Wang warned that the “infringement and provocation will backfire” and that those acting as “others’ chess pieces” are “bound to be discarded.”

The Philippines, one of the United States’ oldest allies in the Indo-Pacific Region, has been in a long-standing maritime dispute with China, which claims the vast South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, which is within Manila’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines, rejecting China’s expansive “nine-dash line” claim. Beijing, however, has refused to recognize the ruling.