Palace OK with presence of US in South China Sea

The United States’ presence in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) will be helpful, but China’s involvement is still necessary to ensure long-term stability, government officials have said.“The Philippines would want stability in this part of the world, in that part of the world,” Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said, following renewed rhetoric from both Washington and Beijing at a just-concluded regional security forum in Singapore.“[The] Philippines’ position is that every country has the right to use the waters in the South China Sea, as well as the air space and we want peace and quiet in that area. So, anything that will provide such kind of atmosphere, we are for it,” he told reporters in a briefing in Malacañang.“If the presence of the US will make it so, then that’s good for all of us, all of the claimants.”Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who attended the Shangri-la Dialogue held in Singapore, said he supported the US’ freedom of navigation operations, but added this would not be enough to keep disputed waters free and open.“It’s not sufficient because we have to get the co-operation of China to keep the South China Sea free and open in the long run,” Lorenzana said during a question and answer session at the security forum.“(Yes), China’s role in the South China Sea is very much welcome, but it should display a lot of… [being a] responsible major power and not using might to force its way in the South China Sea,” he added.The defence chief said a code of conduct — still to be agreed on by all claimants — was also critical as he added that the Philippines’ claims were far superior to China’s.Pointing to the UN Convention on the law of the sea and a 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling that upheld a Philippine complaint, he said China’s so-called “historical records” do “not exist.”He also expressed concern that a face-off between the US and China could find the Philippines caught in the middle. “Anything that they do, if there is a conflict, there is a shooting… if the trade war continues then we are affected, so it impacts us,” Lorenzana said.Panelo, meanwhile, said the Philippines would only object to a US presence if this was conducted “without our consent.”“We will object if they will come to our area because we are supposed to be a sovereign country. No country should come to our country without our consent and knowledge,” he said.At the Shangri-la Dialogue, Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Washington would not ignore China’s aggression in the South China Sea. General Wei Fenghe, China’s minister of national defence, countered that his country was well within its rights to deploy troops and weapons in the disputed area.“Where there are threats, there is defence. In the face of heavily armed warships and military aircraft, how can we stay impervious and not build some defence facilities?” he declared.Panelo said both Washington and Beijing appeared to be “just posturing,” adding, “We will let the giants do their thing.”President Rodrigo Duterte, the Palace spokesman declared, had not changed his position that the West Philippine Sea — Manila’s preferred name for the South China Sea — “is ours.”“As far as he is concerned, parts of the South China Sea are ours per the arbitral ruling,” Panelo said.Duterte sought to downplay Manila’s maritime dispute with Beijing in exchange for improved ties with the world’s second-largest economy. He also set aside the 2016 PCA decision at the start of his presidency, claiming that Manila could not stand up to Beijing.He adopted a more aggressive tone this year, however, warning of “suicide attacks” following reports that China vessels had surrounded Philippine-held Pag-asa (Thitu) Island.Speaking in Tokyo last week, Duterte again criticised Beijing by saying, “I love China, it has helped us a bit. But it behooves upon us to ask: Is it right for a country to claim the whole ocean?”