Sara urges restraint amid China dispute
Vice President Sara Duterte called for a team of diplomats and negotiators to handle the Philippines’ maritime dispute with China, saying dialogue was preferable to confrontation given the two countries’ unequal military capabilities.
Speaking to overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong over the weekend, Duterte said the dispute should not be handled through social media exchanges or aggressive actions at sea.
“The Philippines’ guns are no match to China’s firearms,” she said. “That is not how you address conflict resolution. This should be handled by people who are experts in negotiation for the Philippines.”
She also urged the government to consider Filipinos working and doing business in China, saying many depend on opportunities there.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), in a statement on Sunday, said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directs the country’s foreign policy and government officials must align their public positions with his administration’s policy.
Malacañang likewise said on 4 November that diplomacy with China could proceed alongside efforts by Philippine officials to defend the country’s rights and interests in the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippines and China have repeatedly clashed over maritime activities in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely, including waters within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
A 2016 arbitral ruling invalidated the legal basis of China’s expansive claims under its nine-dash line. Beijing has rejected the decision.
The dispute has persisted despite diplomatic protests and efforts to resolve it through international law. Philippine vessels and personnel have faced repeated confrontations with Chinese forces in waters within the country’s exclusive economic zone.
Manila maintains that its maritime rights are protected by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Beyond the maritime dispute, Duterte said she had reapplied for permission to visit her father in the Netherlands.
With her father’s trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) set to open on 30 November, the Vice President is seeking approval for another visit to the former president next month.
The request comes as the ICC prepares to begin proceedings against the 81-year-old Duterte who faces three counts of crimes against humanity involving murder and attempted murder allegedly committed between November 2011 and March 2019.