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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13) – President Rodrigo Duterte called for non-militarization and self-control in the disputed South China Sea during a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with Beijing.
“Let us resist the urge to militarize features, intimidate and use other coercive actions,” Duterte said at the ASEAN-China Summit on Thursday, according to a statement released by the Palace on Friday. The high-level meeting, which was part of the 37th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, was held via videoconference due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Let’s give in to building trust rather than casting doubt and suspicion on each other,” Duterte added.
Beijing is criticized for its military build-up on artificial islands it occupies in the South China Sea, which it claims almost entirely. In August, the US government sanctioned several Chinese companies “for their role in helping the Chinese military build and militarize the internationally condemned artificial islands.” He said China dredged and built more than 3,000 acres, installing air defense and anti-ship elements.
READ: PH will honor contracts with Chinese companies despite US blacklist – Palace
The United States does not claim any part of the world’s waterway, but conducts freedom of navigation operations and declares most of China’s maritime claims illegal.
Apart from the Philippines and China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and autonomous Taiwan have their own territorial claims in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway for trade that is also believed to be rich in oil and gas deposits.
The 10-member ASEAN is in talks with the Chinese government for a Code of Conduct that will determine the only permitted actions countries can take in the South China Sea. ASEAN has been pushing for a legally binding pact to govern behavior in the region for decades, but progress has been slow in large part due to resistance from China.
At the same summit, Duterte, coordinator of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, pressed for the completion of “an effective and substantive Code of Conduct” in a timely manner.
“And if I may add, it’s been a long time and it’s a long wait,” Duterte said.
READ: Duterte puts pressure on ASEAN on code of conduct in the South China Sea
Duterte reiterated that the Philippines seeks the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the basis of the country’s victory in 2016 before an arbitral tribunal in The Hague.
The ruling dismissed China’s expansive claims and recognized that the areas in the Western Philippine Sea that are being claimed by Beijing are within the Manila exclusive economic zone. China rejects the historic decision.
Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping said they “agree to disagree” on the issue and are putting the ruling aside to focus on opportunities for cooperation, such as planned joint oil and gas exploration.
READ: China expects ‘new progress’ in oil exploration agreement with PH
During the summit, Duterte took the time to thank China for its contribution to the regional bloc’s COVID-19 response fund, as well as for its commitment to make any coronavirus vaccine it produces available to other countries.
The coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, China and has since infected more than 52.85 million people around the world.
In the midst of the pandemic, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs filed several diplomatic protests with China over its actions in the Western Philippine Sea.
The latest was in August, denouncing the illegal confiscation of local fishermen’s devices by the Chinese Coast Guard in Scarborough, a bank west of Zambales, and its broadcast of radio challenges on planes conducting regular maritime patrols in the Sea of Western Philippines.
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