Tarriela, Chinese envoy trade barbs anew 10 years after PH arbitral win

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela on Monday fired back at Chinese Embassy Deputy spokesperson Guo Wei, saying China’s aggressive actions are responsible for the deteriorating Philippines-China relations.

“If China would simply adhere to international law — stop harassing ordinary Filipino fishermen, stop harassing PCG and BFAR vessels, stop destroying the marine environment through reclamation, and abandon its illegal claim over nearly the entire South China Sea — Philippines-China relations would be in a far better place,” Tarriela said in a social media post on Monday morning.

READ: A decade on, arbitral award remains central to PH sea strategy

He was responding to Guo’s reply to his post thanking China for violating the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which led to the Arbitral Award being granted to the Philippines 10 years ago.

“If there weren’t people like Jay Tarriela who lies, sows discord, and incites hatred every day, China-Philippine relations would be much better,” Guo wrote in a social media post on Sunday evening.

Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Award, which denied China’s claims over parts of the West Philippine Sea—a decision China has yet to acknowledge a decade later. /mcm