MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo on Saturday, March 8, dismissed his Chinese counterpart’s claim that the Philippines’ maritime actions were a “screenplay written by external forces” as a “distortion” of the real issue: Manila’s interests.
“In a way, we’re distorting the issue. It’s being cast in the light of a strategic rivalry among the big powers, when actually, the issue is really an issue of Philippine interest and how it affects the Philippines. It has no connection to any kind of strategic rivalry among the big powers, and we think it should not be viewed that way,” Manalo said in a chance interview on Saturday on the sidelines of a bilateral meeting with British Foreign Minister David Lammy.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a press conference on Friday, March 7, claimed that “for every move on the sea by the Philippines, there is a screenplay written by external forces, the show is livestreamed by Western media, and the plot is invariably to smear China.”
Wang also warned that “infringement and provocation will backfire and those acting as others’ chess pieces are bound to be discarded.”
The Chinese minister’s latest statements follow Beijing’s narrative that cast the Philippines’ treaty-ally the United States as being behind Manila’s attempts to assert its sovereign rights and sovereignty claims in the West Philippine Sea, or an area that includes the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.
Manila — whether it be through Manalo or President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself — has repeatedly said that issues in the region should not be seen through the lens of the superpower rivalry of China and the United States but through the desire of smaller, middle powers to assert their interests.
“If that’s unfortunately the way they view it, then certainly it won’t really lead to any productive talks. So, we really hope that we look at this as an issue which concerns Philippine interests specifically and not any other country,” added Manalo, still referring to Wang’s latest statements.
China claims most of the South China Sea, including parts of the Philippines’ EEZ. For Philippine maritime forces, this has meant harassment at sea, whether it be through dangerous maneuvers, China’s use of water cannons, the ramming of ships, and other actions that just barely fall short of an armed attack.
The 2016 Arbitral Award affirmed the extent and limits of the Philippines’ EEZ, but Beijing has refused to recognize the ruling. – Rappler.com