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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DFA cites dissonance between China's promise to lower tensions and its actual actions in WPS

DFA cites dissonance between China's promise to lower tensions and its actual actions in WPS

Published Dec 11, 2023 07:14 am

The lowering of tensions in the South China Sea, which President Marcos and Chinese President Xi Jinping talked about the last time they met in the United States, remains off track.

water cannon.jpg

Even the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised questions on whatever happened to the agreement between Marcos and Xi to reduce the sea tensions three weeks ago, noting there has been a dissonance between China's promises and what is taking place in the waters.

"We're asking the same thing," DFA Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said in a Palace briefing on Monday, Dec. 11, when asked about the commitment China made to reduce the tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

"Because there is a dissonance between what is being said and promised with what is happening in the waters. And that's the reason why we are calling on China to be a responsible member of the international community and (as) it is a signatory to UNCLOS, to abide by UNCLOS and for us also, the Arbitral Tribunal Award," Daza added.

Over the weekend, China's coast guard and maritime militia deployed water cannon attacks against Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels while conducting legitimate resupply missions off Ayungin Shoal and Bajo de Masinloc.

Although a communication mechanism, which China wants to call "hotline," was already established to lodge protests on incidents off the South China Sea, Daza said both sides must be sincere in managing it.

The DFA official said the hotline "is actually operationalized at the level of respective offices in the Ministry (of Foreign Affairs of China and) in the Department of Foreign Affairs."

Asked if it is working, Daza said yes, however, it took "a little bit of time" before China actually responded.

"Hotline will only work if both are actually sincere and actually making sure that first, they answer, and then they actually ...don't just actually speak and present their narratives but figure out how they would actually seriously manage it," she said.

"So far, we've actually been using the hotline, we used it with this one. Although I would like to say on the side that it took a little bit of time before they actually responded and when they did respond it is another number that they actually used," she added.

Daza stressed that "there has to be sincerity in terms of making sure that you'd like to really manage it and make sure that you actually see how you can avoid conflicts."

Related Tags

ma. teresita daza XI JINPING South China Sea West Philippine Sea
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