Duterte urged to confront Chinese ‘bullying’ in South China Sea

Al Jazeera :
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte must end his “policy of subservience” towards Beijing, lawmakers and foreign policy experts have said, warning that the Filipino leader’s silence is sending the wrong signal as hundreds of Chinese “maritime militia” vessels continue to congregate within Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.
While several Filipino officials, including the country’s top diplomat and the defence chief, have openly demanded that the Chinese vessels immediately leave the country’s waters, Duterte has kept quiet for weeks.
During an address on Thursday night, Duterte did not mention the South China Sea. His spokesman said earlier that the president preferred to pursue his “diplomatic initiatives” in “private”.
Earlier on Thursday, the Philippine Coast Guard revealed that despite repeated demands by Manila that Chinese ships leave Whitsun Reef, at least 240 Chinese vessels remained in the area and surrounding waters as recently as Wednesday.
The vessels were first spotted on March 7 at Whitsun Reef, which is about 320km (200 miles) west of Palawan Island and within the Philippine EEZ as defined by the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague. Since the first reported sighting, the vessels have dispersed in an even wider area. In a statement on Thursday, Senator Leila de Lima, an opposition member, warned that the Philippines could become “just another one of China’s satellites” if Duterte and the military failed to confront China.
De Lima said despite the expression of support by the United States towards Manila’s position in the South China Sea, Duterte’s “policy of grovelling before China” could prove detrimental to the integrity of the Philippine territory. For almost 70 years, the Philippines has maintained a mutual defence pact with the US. But since Duterte came to office in 2016, he has nurtured closer ties with China, and has openly showed his disdain towards Washington, even threatening to end the US-Philippine military alliance.
Risa Hontiveros, another opposition senator, said it was time for Duterte to confront his “best friend” China, for its “blatant deception”. “China is truly intent on refusing any diplomatic means of resolving our disputes,” she said.
The Chinese embassy in Manila has insisted that what it has called “fishing vessels” are only “seeking shelter” near the reef due to bad weather, adding that the area has been a traditional fishing ground of Chinese fishermen and that it is part of China’s Nansha Islands or Spratlys, which is also disputed. Retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, an international law expert, said unless Duterte speaks and defends the country’s sovereignty, China will not take the Philippines position seriously.