West Philippine Sea row: PH, China militaries not talking about it

This map is not to scale and is for visual representation purposes only. The West Philippine Sea dispute is not being discussed between the Philippines and China militaries, according to Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. At a Senate hearing Tuesday, June 25, 2024, Teodoro said there have never been any military-to-military talks between the Philippines and China regarding the matter since he became Department of National Defense (DND) chief. He also said that no military-to-military discussions between the Philippines and China will happen until “fundamental processes have been settled [with] no recriminations.” Graphics by: Samuel Yap / INQUIRER.net

At a Senate hearing Tuesday, Teodoro said there have never been any military-to-military talks between the Philippines and China regarding the matter since he became Department of National Defense (DND) chief.

He also said that no military-to-military discussions between the Philippines and China will happen until “fundamental processes have been settled [with] no recriminations.”

READ: West Philippine Sea: China Coast Guard inching closer to Zambales – report

“They have the tendency of using the talks against us. They have not proven a level of good faith that would warrant our sensitive department to talk to them,” the DND chief told senators.

The Senate committee on foreign relations has launched an investigation of the June 17 violent encounter between the China Coast Guard and Philippine troops near the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

The incident resulted in the injury of eight Philippine Navy sailors, with one of them losing a thumb, as CCG ships rammed Philippine vessels en route to deliver supplies to Marines stationed at BRP Sierra Madre.

Sen. Imee Marcos, who was presiding over the hearing as panel chair, proceeded to ask Teodoro if the Philippines will follow the United States, which only talked “on a military to military basis” after many years.

READ: Marcos awards soldier who lost a finger during an encounter with CCG

“I was just curious since they are our treaty ally, are we following their example?“ asked Marcos, to which Teodoro firmly replied:

“No, ma’am. Because they have not displayed a level of trust and confidence that would make myself confident enough to engage them on a fair and level-playing field basis.”

In the same hearing, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said they were hoping that a bilateral  consultation mechanism between Filipino foreign affairs officials and their Chinese counterparts be held in July to discuss China’s recent aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

“[W]e have been working hard to bring back China to the table to talk with us to resolve differences on these issues. We have an existing mechanism with China, we call it the bilateral consultation mechanism on [the] South China Sea,” said Manalo.