Defense chief: China is a bully in disputed sea
DEFENSE SECRETARY Delfin N. Lorenzana on Tuesday criticized China for failing to match its commitment of peace to the Philippines with actions, calling its neighbor a bully.
People doubt China’s sincerity, Mr. Lorenzana told a briefing, adding that the Chinese “are grabbing islands there and bullying people around.”
He was reacting to a Pulse Asia Research, Inc. poll that more Filipinos have expressed distrust in China as of end-June after the alleged sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese vessel in the South China Sea.
The Defense chief downplayed Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua’s claim on Monday that his country is ready to talk with other claimant countries in the South China Sea.
The Chinese envoy said China is building its military for self-defense and “will not take the first shot” as it seeks to resolve disputes with fellow claimants.
“I have heard versions of that speech three times already. I have heard that from the mouth of Xi Jinping,” he said, referring to the Chinese president. He said other Chinese ministers have said the same thing “so there’s nothing new.”
“The bottom line is what they say is different from what they do in the West Philippine Sea,” Mr. Lorenzana said in mixed English and Filipino, referring to parts of the South China Sea that are within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Distrust in China rose to 74% last month, 14 points higher than in December, Pulse Asia said in an emailed statement on Friday.
The pollster said 89% of Filipinos were aware of the June 9 incident at Reed Bank that left 22 Filipino fishermen abandoned at sea, and 36% think the Philippines should ask China to sanction crew members involved.
Meanwhile, 26% of Filipinos think China itself, not just the Chinese fishing vessel involved, should be made to pay for incident, Pulse Asia said, adding that 19% think the Chinese crew members should be tried in a Philippine court.
The United States, Japan and Australia enjoyed higher trust ratings last month at 89%, 79% and 76% respectively.
Mr. Lorenzana said China’s stance near the Scarborough Shoal was a form of bullying.
The Defense chief, a former Armed Forces attaché to the US from 2002 to 2004, said the US enjoys higher trust ratings because it doesn’t bully its neighbors.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Sunday said he wants regular patrols near the islands of Batanes province amid China’s land reclamation activities in the South China Sea.
The Coast Guard last week took delivery of assets meant to upgrade its sea patrol capabilities and response to natural disasters. The assets included 73 rubber boats with outboard motors, 12 rigid-hulled inflatable boats, 90 pickup trucks, seven buses and five ambulances.
China’s neighbors are racing to empower their Coast Guard fleets amid increasing tensions in the South China Sea.
China claims sovereignty over more than 80 percent of the South China Sea based on its so-called nine-dash line drawn on a 1940s map.
It has been building artificial islands in the disputed Spratly Islands and setting up installations including several runways.
Mr. Duterte has sought closer investment and trade ties with Beijing, including over resources in the disputed sea, since he assumed office in 2016.
His predecessor, Benigno S. Aquino III, sued China before an international arbitration tribunal over its territorial claims, and won. He also strengthened Philippine alliance with the US to try to check China’s expansion in the main waterway.
Aside from China and the Philippines, other claimants to the main waterway are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras