MANILA: The Philippine government on Tuesday clarified anew that there was no agreement to notify China before its conduct of resupply missions to the Ayungin Shoal.
In a joint press conference in Quezon City, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said the understanding reached was only to ‘exchange information,’ which Beijing too is obliged to do so under the ambit of the provisional arrangement it signed with Manila.
‘On the issue of notification, I think the more accurate term is exchange of information, which is exactly what we did with China, and – both of us,’ he said.
‘The fact that the (re)supply was a relative success I think indicates that it’s something that we are committed to pursue in succeeding supply missions, provided, of course, China also adheres to the understanding,’ he added.
Manila and Beijing had been at odds with the interpretation of the arrangement, with the latter saying the deal was reached on the condition that the Philippines would ‘inform China in advance and after on-si
te verification’ is conducted.
Reacting to it, the DFA said the Chinese side has ‘mischaracterized’ and ‘misrepresented’ the arrangement, repeating it was only reached without prejudice to both the Philippines and China’s positions.
Asked to expound whether China is also empowered to thumb down a resupply operation after the two sides have exchanged information about an upcoming mission, Manalo said: ‘If they said no then that’s not part of the understanding.’
Manalo earlier confirmed that his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi has affirmed China’s commitment to honor the provisional deal during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 57th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Laos.
READ: DFA chief: China to honor provisional deal in Ayungin
Manalo and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., meanwhile, both assured the public that the government’s West Philippine Sea strategy remains intact.
‘To protect our rights, that is the strategy. (It) doesn’t change,’
the Defense chief said.
Manalo added that the country would continue asserting its sovereign rights and sovereignty ‘in accordance with the rule of law, a rules-based order, and the United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea’.
Both officials also dismissed notions interpreting the deal as a Chinese ‘win’ or Beijing getting an upper hand over Ayungin Shoal.
‘It’s not win or lose, let’s just say we had a good RORE (rotation and reprovisioning),’ the top diplomat said.
Ayungin Shoal is a feature situated within the country’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that is also being claimed by China as part of its territory.
Manalo and Teodoro were joined by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during the presser after concluding the 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
Blinken said the US welcomed the provisional understanding and was pleased to see that the first resupply mission since it was reached went forward with
out incident.
‘It’s very important that that be the standard, not the exception. And as I said to the Chinese foreign minister when we met in Laos a few days ago, China must uphold its commitments to not obstruct the Philippines in their resupply missions,’ he said.
He reiterated that the US stands by its ‘ironclad defense commitment’ to the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty.
‘That extends to armed attacks on Filipino armed forces, public vessels or aircraft – including the coast guard – anywhere in the Pacific, including the South China Sea,’ he added.
In a joint statement, the four secretaries expressed ‘serious concerns about dangerous behavior in the South China Sea over the past year that resulted in injury and damage to property, as well as militarization of reclaimed features and unlawful maritime claims’.
Source: Philippines News Agency