China’s wordplay won’t mask West PH Sea issue – DFA

CHINA ENTRY Chinese-guided missile frigate Handan docks at South Harbor in Manila on Jan. 17 for a four-day goodwill visit. — GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — China’s “creative analogy” and “play of words” won’t mask the real issue in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), which is Beijing’s continuous refusal to abide by international law, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday.

The DFA took exception to Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s remarks during a press conference on March  7.

“For every move on the sea by the Philippines, there is a screenplay written by external forces, the show is live streamed by Western media, and the plot is invariably to smear China. People are not interested in watching the same performance again and again,” the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs quoted Wang as saying.

The DFA slammed Wang’s statement.

“No creative analogy or play of words will mask the real issue, which is China’s refusal to abide by international law,” the DFA said.

“We call on countries to be circumspect and to avoid actions and words that only contribute to tensions in the region,” it added.

Wang’s remark regarding a certain “external force” controlling the country also does not sit well with the DFA.

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“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,” it said.

Beijing asserts sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea.

‘Squid tactics’

Meanwhile, Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Monday said Wang’s remarks are nothing but “squid tactics” and distractions.

“No amount of squid tactics can conceal the fact that China has been, and continues to be, engaged in a pattern of illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive behavior at sea – and, most recently, even in the airspace of the Philippines,” Estrada said in a statement.

“The statements made by the Chinese foreign minister are yet another blatant attempt to undermine our country’s legitimate concerns and distract the public from their persistent illegal incursions and provocations,” he added.

In 2012, the Philippines and China had a tense standoff over the Panatag Shoal, with Manila withdrawing its ships from the shoal which led to Beijing having effective control of its lagoon to date.

A year later, Manila lodged an arbitration case against Beijing, which led to the historic 2016 arbitral award that effectively rejected China’s sweeping claims in the West Philippine Sea.

Manila is banking on the 2016 ruling to assert its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea through continuous patrols, which often saw the presence and escalatory actions of the China Coast Guard.

“Our sovereignty is not a performance, and our resolve is not an act,” Estrada said.