Malacañang said on Friday that the Philippines “cannot be faulted” if other countries agree with its approach in resolving the West Philippine Sea issue.
“We cannot be faulted if other countries have lauded the approach that we have decided to take in resolving this dispute that we have with our neighbor,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte told reporters during the daily press briefing at the Palace.
Valte was asked to comment on the statement made by Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman, Senior Colonel Yang Yujun, during a regular press conference on Thursday that “some regional nations drag countries outside the region to interfere in the South China Sea issue, demonstrate muscles, and intentionally play up regional tensions.”
“This behavior would only bring harm to the situation in the South China Sea,” he said.
Valte noted that the issue concerns countries outside the region since 60 percent to 80 percent of global trade passes through the disputed waters.
Asked about the environmental harm that China’s reclamation works have created, Valte said she wants to leave it to the experts to assess the damage on coral reefs caused by China’s island-building activities.
“More weight should be given to the opinion of experts when it comes to the destruction of marine resources and the coral reefs that are affected. We would defer to their judgment on that,” she said.
The Philippine government has filed a case before the international arbitral tribunal to resolve the dispute despite China’s refusal to participate.
It is also pushing for the crafting of a binding Code of Conduct in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to ease the tension in the contested territory. PND (as) |