Manila tells Wang Yi: Stick to real issue — China doesn’t follow international law

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'We call on countries to be circumspect and to avoid actions and words that only contribute to tensions in the region,' says the DFA

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday, March 10, said it disagreed with recent statements by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the West Philippine Sea, as it reminded “countries to be circumspect and to avoid actions and words that only contribute to tensions in the region.”

“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 theatre staged under the direction of other countries,” said the DFA in a statement, released days after Wang’s press conference following the Third Session of the 14th National People’s Congress on March 7. 

“China should 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,” added the DFA. 

Earlier, DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo dismissed Wang’s statements, calling it a “distortion” of the real issue: Manila’s interests in the South China Sea. 

“No creative analogy or play of 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,” said the DFA. 

China claims as its own a huge part of the South China Sea, including the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone which is part of the West Philippine Sea.

Tensions have remained high in those waters even after Beijing and Manila negotiated a “provisional arrangement” that has, so far, helped managed confrontations at a major flashpoint: Ayungin Shoal, where a World War II-era warship serves as an outpost for elite Filipino soldiers. 

For Filipinos — the Philippine Coast Guard, Navy, and fisherfolk — Beijing’s broad claims have meant having to deal with harassment at sea through water cannons, collisions, and dangerous manuevers, among others. — Rappler.com