China open to signing Code of Conduct in disputed waters – Tulfo

MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese government remains open to signing the Code of Conduct (COC) governing the disputed areas in the South China Sea, according to Sen. Erwin Tulfo. 

Tulfo, head of the Senate panel on foreign relations, disclosed the matter following a dialogue with Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan.

“Open sila to sign at mukhang interested din sila kasi kasama sila doon sa meeting ng Code of Conduct, creation ng Code of Conduct, nandun sila. So, I would assume may mga inputs din sila doon kasi lahat naman ng parties, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, tayo, ay amenable doon sa Code of Conduct,” Tulfo told reporters. 

(They are open to signing it and they also seem interested because they are part of the meetings on the creation of the Code of Conduct, they’re there. So, I would assume they also have inputs in it since all the parties — Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, and us are amenable to the Code of Conduct)

The dialogue attended by Tulfo transpired in the wake of the word war between Filipino lawmakers and the Chinese embassy in Manila. According to Tulfo, the meeting was productive. 

“Both of us agreed na open yung continuous diplomatic meetings rather than public discourse, rather than magbanatan sa on-air, social media, newspaper. Sang-ayon siya na sana laging ganoon, may meeting na lang, para to advance further itong better relations between Philippines and China,” said Tulfo. 

(Both of us agreed to keep continuous diplomatic meetings open rather than engaging in public discourse, rather than attacking each other on air, on social media, or in newspapers. He agreed that it would be better to always handle things through meetings in order to further improve relations between the Philippines and China.)

While he noted that the meeting was productive, Tulfo clarified that the word war was not brought up in the meeting. 

“Di naman napag-usapan yan, pero ang napag-usapan namin is yung they are very excited din dun sa Code of Conduct na tinatapos between China at ASEAN countries, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines and Brunei. So hopefully by December matatapos na yun so meron tayong Code of Conduct,” he explained. 

(That wasn’t discussed, but what we did talk about is that they are also very excited about the Code of Conduct that is being finalized between China and the ASEAN countries [like] Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei. So hopefully by December it will be completed, and we will have a Code of Conduct)

Tulfo likewise said that the Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippine Coast Guard and the Chinese Coast Guard will be “returned” to the Philippines by March. 

“Instead na magbanatan sila doon sa West Philippine Sea, magkaroon na lang ng cooperation like patrol, search and rescue, clean up, yun yung nabanggit ni Ambassador Jing,” he said. 

(Instead of clashing in the West Philippine Sea, they will focus on cooperation such as joint patrols, search and rescue, and clean-up operations. That was what Ambassador Jing mentioned.)

Fifteen senator have earlier inked a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate in condemning recent public statements made by the Chinese embassy in Manila which criticized Philippine officials and institutions for positions taken in defense of national sovereignty and maritime rights. 

Under Senate Resolution No. 256, the lawmakers stressed that the language used by a Chinese embassy official, directed at incumbent members of Congress, departs from “the restraint, courtesy, and responsibility expected of diplomatic communications” and runs counter to “the principles of mutual respect and non-interference” among states.

Earlier, the Chinese Embassy in Manila likewise filed a diplomatic protest against Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard  spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, over his alleged smearing of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “dignity.” 

The move came days after Tarriela posted a photo of himself in front of a flatscreen television displaying an image collage that appeared to be an AI-generated image of Xi. /gsg