President Duterte has reiterated his call for peace, prosperity, and stability in the South China Sea.
President Rodrigo Duterte has reiterated his call for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to remain united in pursuing peace, prosperity, and stability in the South China Sea in accordance with the 2016 Arbitral Award and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
According to a statement from Malacañang on Tuesday night regarding the Chief Executive’s participation in the ongoing 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits, President Duterte said that they have come a long way in promoting prosperity and keeping the peace in the region and must not allow those with diverging interests in order to make their efforts fail.
Manila Bulletin reported that the Arbitral Award referred to the Philippines’ victory in the case it lodged before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, where it challenged regional power China’s expansive “nine-dash line” claim in the South China Sea. The case was initiated by the Aquino administration.
China, a dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has never recognized the Philippines’ Arbitral Award. Despite this, the Philippines under the Duterte administration has had friendlier ties with China compared to the previous administration.
President Duterte stated in his intervention at the 24th ASEAN-China Summit that dynamic ASEAN-China cooperation put both sides in a formidable position to combat the pandemic, to address climate change, and to manage geopolitical issues.
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The President also thanked China for supporting ASEAN’s pandemic response, particularly by making life-saving vaccines global public goods.
Noting that 2017-2027 was the Decade of Coastal and Marine Environmental Protection in the South China Sea, President Duterte reiterated the Philippines’ call for holistic efforts in order to protect and preserve biodiversity and the marine environment.
The President also encouraged countries to translate commitments into action as regards the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
“Talks should not remain empty rhetoric. They should be translated into action to fortify the trust and confidence we have cultivated through the years. Acta non verba. Deeds, not words,” President Duterte said.
Moreover, President Duterte lauded the Philippines’ contribution to the substantive progress in the 2nd reading of the Single Draft Code of Conduct (COC) Negotiating Text as it reaffirmed its commitment to the conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.
President Duterte was virtually attending the simultaneous 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits through video conference. The events, which were being hosted by Brunei Darussalam, will run from October 26 to 28.
Joining him during the first day of the Summits were key government officials — including Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin, Jr., Secretary of Social Welfare and Development Rolando Joselito Bautista, Secretary of Trade and Industry Ramon Lopez, and Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Carlito Galvez Jr.
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