The dispute between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea has been heating up since late March. Manila authorities say some 220 Chinese maritime militia vessels have gathered at Whitsun Reef and have lodged at least five diplomatic protests with Beijing, demanding immediate departure from the Philippines’ exclusive economic waters. The South China Sea dispute has become a hot political issue in the Philippines as the presidential election approaches next May. Philippine and Chinese officials have been exchanging words over recent exercises by the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in the country’s exclusive economic zone. Duterte (Rodrigo Duterte) said in a TV talk on the evening of 28: “We don’t want to go to war with China. China is a good friend. We owe a lot of thanks, including (China’s donation of) vaccines.” Duterte said, “But there are some things that really cannot be conceded…I hope they understand that I also have my national interests to protect.”
According to a Central News Agency report today, the sovereignty dispute between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea continues to flare up. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he “owes a lot of gratitude” to China, but that Manila authorities cannot give in to protecting national interests.
The report said that China has so far donated millions of doses of vaccines to the Philippines, but the sovereignty dispute between the two countries in the South China Sea continues to burn. In response, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said the Philippines “owes a lot of gratitude” to China, but in protecting national interests, the Manila authorities cannot give in.
The Philippines 2019 Chinese Communist Viral Disease (COVID-19) epidemic is severe, the Chinese Communist Party has so far provided 3.5 million doses of Coxin vaccine to the Philippines, of which 1 million doses were donated free of charge. The Philippine News Agency (PNA) revealed that another 1.5 million doses of the Coxin vaccine are scheduled to arrive in the Philippines on May 7. In response, the radical Filipino Fishermen’s Movement for Power (PAMALAKAYA) issued a statement today criticizing Duterte for using Philippine sovereignty as a bargaining chip in exchange for the Chinese vaccine.
Fernando Hicap, national president of PAMALAKAYA, said, “We don’t owe China anything, they are the ones who owe us trillions of dollars for the massive destruction of coral and marine resources in the West Philippine Sea. President Duterte is using our sovereign territories as leverage to get Chinese vaccines, loans and investments to take his puppetry role (puppetry) to a whole new level.”
For his part, former Philippine Justice Antonio Carpio, who led the opposition camp in forming a political coalition that will field a candidate for the presidency and vice presidency in next year’s general elections, said, “Filipinos deserve, and should demand, a president who will make love for Filipinos his first priority and uncompromisingly defend Philippine sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea. “
The Central News Agency said the West Philippine Sea is the part of the South China Sea over which the Philippines claims sovereignty and is roughly within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic waters.
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