Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said today he would send ex-leader Fidel Ramos to China for talks after an global tribunal ruled against Beijing’s claims to most of the disputed South China Sea.
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Lo said Chinese media and academics have been proposing cross-strait cooperation on the South China Sea issue and asked for the ministry’s view. China had earlier declared an area in the East China Sea as its air defence zone following disputes with Japan.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, has ruled against China and in favour of the Philippines, a long-time USA ally, saying that there is no legal basis for China enforcing exclusive control over the resource-rich strategic waterway through which $5 trillion of global trade is carried out every year.
Liu said Beijing had the right to establish an air defense identification zone over the disputed waters, if it so chose.
Meanwhile, the Philippines urged Beijing on Thursday to respect the Hague’s ruling and said it would raise the issue at a regional summit.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement following the decision, which described it as being “void, with no binding force”.
For more on the South China Sea arbitration and its aftermath, CCTV America’s Elaine Reyes spoke with Fred Teng, president of America China Public Affairs Institute.
The tribunal ruled China’s claimed historical rights and nine-dash map had no legal basis.
Beijing: A defiant China on Wednesday successfully tested two new airfields in the disputed islands in the South China Sea, a day after an worldwide tribunal struck down Beijing claims over the area.
“We call on both the Philippines and China to respect the ruling, to abide by it”. All the current tensions stem from contested claims over sovereignty, the only way, as China has correctly pointed out many times, is to resolve the disputes through bilateral talks.
“Whether we need to set up one in the South China Sea depends on the level of threat we receive”, Liu said.
Tsai’s predecessor Ma Ying-jeou visited Taiping in January to press Taiwan’s claims and show that Taiping is an island, not a rock, in a move that triggered criticism from the United States as well as protests from Vietnam and the Philippines.
Duterte, who took office on June 30, has said he wants better relations with China and to attract Chinese investment for major infrastructure projects.
China’s ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, was even more blunt about the tribunal’s ruling.
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“Malaysia cherishes peace and stability of the South China Sea and believes that China and all relevant parties can find constructive ways to develop healthy dialogues, negotiations and consultations while upholding the supremacy of the rule of law for the peace, safety and security for the region”, it said.
