By Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral
Reporter

THE CHINESE government’s position regarding its “indisputable sovereignty” over the South China Sea is “consistent,” Beijing’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday, as it evaded questions regarding its supposed assurance to the Philippines that it would stop expanding the areas it occupies in the disputed waters.

Spratly
An aerial photo taken though a glass window of a Philippine military plane shows the alleged on-going land reclamation by China on mischief reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, in this May 11, 2015 file photo. REUTERS

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana said in a congressional hearing last Monday that China and the Philippines had reached a “modus vivendi” in the widely contested sea that forbids encroachment and new occupation of reefs.

Asked to confirm Mr. Lorenzana’s comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying, in a press conference, did not give a categorical answer, but reiterated that China had sovereignty over the Spratly Islands, a South China Sea chain, and nearby waters.

She added that China remains dedicated in settling the dispute peacefully among countries “directly” involved.

China claims most parts of the strategic waterway, where trillion dollars’ worth of ship-borne goods pass through annually. But the Asian power’s maritime ambitions were challenged by the Philippines, another claimant nation, in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, which issued a ruling last year in Manila’s favor.

The tribunal, in its July 2016 verdict, said China violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights by blocking fishing and oil exploration as well as by building artificial islands there.

Taking office shortly before the legal victory against China, Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte set aside the landmark ruling in pursuit of friendlier ties with Beijing, which also involves billions of dollars in Chinese aid and investment.

‘BROADER OPTIONS’
Meanwhile, Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said early this week that the Philippines is working on a «commercial deal» with China to explore and begin drilling oil in contested parts of the sea within a year.

Commenting on Mr. Cayetano’s statement, Ms. Hua said in the same news conference that China had set a proposal to the Philippines in the 1980’s to “shelve differences and seek joint development” in the sea.

“Over the decades, China has been implementing this proposal in handling the relevant disputes in the South China Sea and developing the bilateral relations with the littoral countries of the South China Sea,” she explained.

“The relevant cooperation and joint development shall not impair each other’s own position and the final delimitation of boundary,” she added.

“China believes that as long as we follow the spirit of mutual trust and win-win results, China and the Philippines surely have the wisdom and ability to find a way of joint development that is acceptable to both sides, which will bring benefit to the two peoples and make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation.”

The Department of Energy (DoE) announced last month that a moratorium on oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea is expected to be lifted before December. The Philippines suspended explorations at Reed Bank in late 2014 as some contract areas fell within the scope of the arbitration case filed by the Philippines against China.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto C. Abella said that while the Philippines is open to “broader options for partnerships”, any energy deal with “foreign entities” must be constitutional.

“We are not limiting ourselves to exclusive economic relationships,” Mr. Abella said.

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