BEIJING (AP) — To put a positive spin on a relationship that never quite yielded the benefits hoped for, Chinese leader Xi Jinping told outgoing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday that the two nations were discussing the thorny issue of the disputed South China Sea.
Xi made his remarks over the phone with Duterte, who had closer ties with Beijing after taking office in 2016.
However, despite more comfortable relations, there have been sporadic territorial squabbles, and Beijing has had limited success in separating the Philippines from its contracting party, the United States.
Xi did not mention any disputes, saying the sides “have adhered to the important consensus reached, adhered to good-neighborly and friendly cooperation, insisted on handling differences appropriately, and insisted on working together for common development.”
“The two sides’ proper handling of the South China Sea has laid an important foundation for friendly cooperation between China and the Philippines, benefiting the two peoples and effectively safeguarding regional peace and stability,” Xi said, according to the official news agency Xinhua quoted.
“China’s policy towards the Philippines maintains continuity and stability, and (China) stands ready to work with the Philippines to promote the continuous and solid development of China-Philippines relations and continuously advance to a new level,” Xi said.
Xi also took a dig at Manila’s security pact with Washington, saying recent developments show that “regional security cannot be achieved by strengthening military alliances.”
“China stands ready to work with the Philippines and regional countries to uphold the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security (and) firmly hold regional security leadership in its own hands,” Xi said.
Duterte is limited to one term and the Philippines will hold a presidential election on May 9th.
China claims virtually all of the South China Sea, along with its rich fish stocks and underwater mineral resources. That has locked it in an increasingly tense territorial standoff in the busy waterway with rival claimants, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
The story goes on
China’s seizure of the Scarborough Shoal prompted the Philippines to submit the dispute to international arbitration before Duterte took office. In 2016, a United Nations-backed tribunal invalidated most of China’s claims, saying it violated Filipinos’ right to fish the shoal.
China dismissed the ruling as a hoax and continues to oppose it, but allowed Filipino fishermen to return to the shoals under Duterte.
In March, aboard a US Navy reconnaissance plane, US Indo-Pacific commander Admiral John C. Aquilino told The Associated Press that China had fully militarized three of the seven islands it has built in the disputed Spratlys archipelago in the South China Sea , despite a promise by Xi not to do so.
Chinese weapon systems on the man-made islands include naval and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment, and military aircraft.
China responded by saying that the stationing of “necessary national defense facilities on its own territory is a right vested in every sovereign state and is in accordance with international law, which is beyond reproach.”