De Lima chides China for asking PH to stop maritime activities in WPS

Senator Leila de Lima on Friday chided China for asking the Philippines to stop its maritime activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to supposedly prevent complicating the situation and escalating disputes in the resource-rich waters.

The senator said that China, and not the Philippines, is the one escalating disputes in the WPS as it continues to assault the country’s sovereignty in the area without getting any objection from Duterte.

“Sila ang dapat umalis sa teritoryo natin. Sila na itong nanghimasok at yumuyurak sa soberanya natin, sila na itong naninira sa kabuhayan at nang-aapi sa mga kababayan natin, sila pa itong may lakas ng loob na magbanta at baligtarin ang sitwasyon,” she said.

“Lumalakas ang loob nilang magsalita, gaano man kagarapal, dahil tikom ang bibig ni Duterte sa ginagawang pagkamkam ng China sa ating teritoryo. Duwag na, pro-China pa,” De Lima added.

In a recent press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin insisted that “China enjoys sovereignty over Nansha (Spratly) Islands including Zhongye (Pag-Asa) Island and Zhongsha Islands, including Huangyan Island (Panatag Shoal) and their adjacent waters, and exercises jurisdiction in relevant waters.”

He further urged the Philippines “to respect China’s sovereignty and rights and interests, and stop actions complicating the situation and escalating disputes.”

But De Lima argued that contrary to China’s claims, in a landmark ruling on July 12, 2016, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) found no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to a “nine-dash line” in the WPS but China refused to honor the ruling.

In fact, she said the arbitral award recognized the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its 200 nautical miles (NM) Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the WPS.

De Lima reiterated that Duterte should stand against unrelenting Chinese incursion in the WPS and stop tolerating its continued disrespect of the country’s sovereignty.

“China continues to bully us but Duterte, being China’s famous lackey, remains unperturbed. Whatever happened to his promise to defend our sovereignty with his life? Yet again, broken and unfulfilled,” she said.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)