China’s official Xinhua News Agency said Fan, the general, told Rice that China opposed the tribunal’s ruling and “would continue to provide strong backing to safeguarding China’s national territorial sovereignty and security”.
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The Philippines and China must settle their territorial dispute over the South China Sea through diplomacy, not “coercion or a threat of force”, United States Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday during a visit to Manila.
“A great deal will depend on what exactly the president is willing to put on the table with China through his special envoy and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)”, said Manhit.
Kerry flies to Manila on Tuesday and is scheduled to meet with the Philippines new president, Rodrigo Duterte, on Wednesday.
John Kerry left for the Philippines late on Tuesday.
“The other countries are not part of our filing of the case before the arbitral tribunal so why would we insist that it be put in the ASEAN statement?”
“We will begin with the ruling – that will be the foundation”, said Duterte’s spokesman, Ernesto Abella.
Relations between China and the Philippines hit a nadir earlier this month after Beijing refused to recognise a UN-backed ruling invalidating its claims to much of the sea.
“I reiterated that we’ve got interest in the area and we’ve got commitments to allies and partners in the region, and oh by the way, worldwide law permits us to be there”, he said.
“This statement is inconsistent with the efforts being made by regional countries to safeguard stability in the South China Sea, inconsistent with the aspiration of regional people to lower the temperature surrounding the South China Sea situation, and inconsistent with the constructive role that non-regional countries should play”.
Reuters reported that the deadlock at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting “was broken only when the Philippines withdrew its request to mention the ruling in the face of resolute objections from Cambodia, China’s closest ASEAN ally”.
“The decision itself is a binding decision but we’re not trying to create a confrontation”.
Kerry, however stressed that the United States takes a strong position in supporting the rule of law, as well as on protecting rights and freedoms of nations to freedom of navigation and use of air and sea space. Beijing’s reluctance has so far hampered talks on the envisioned set of rules between the two sides.
“We take a position that rule of law must be upheld”, he said. It is also believed to sit atop vast reserves of oil and gas.
“I have been informed about the designation of former president Fidel Valdez Ramos, who reportedly accepted the assignment to engage China in bilateral talks with respect to this issue”.
During the foreign ministers’ meeting between China and ASEAN nations (10+1), China and the ASEAN nations issued a joint statement on full and effective implementation of the DOC, which reiterates that disputes should be resolved peacefully through negotiation between the parties directly concerned, said Lu.
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But Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said a joint communique about the situation in the South China Sea, which was published at the same time as the statement with China, portrayed unity within the region.
