President Rodrigo Duterte's order against taking part in joint maritime drills in the South China Sea was in line with his independent foreign policy and was meant to avoid tensions with other countries, Malacañang said Tuesday.
In this Feb. 28, 2019 photo, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo participated in a joint press availability with Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin jr. at the DFA headquarters in Pasay City. Photo: US Department of State/Ron Przysucha
MANILA, Philippines — The top diplomats of the Philippines
and the United States discussed Washington's latest policy declaration on
maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
The US Department of State said Foreign Affairs Secretary
Teodoro Locsin Jr. and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo talked about the
recent change in US policy in a call.
The two foreign ministers also discussed "US support
for Southeast Asian coastal states upholding their sovereign rights and
interests consistent with international law, and opprtunities for further
US-Philippine maritime cooperation."
"The two secretaries also discussed the strong
economic, security, and people-to-people ties that bind our two
countries," the US Department of State said in a readout.
Pompeo, in a tweet, described his conversation with Locsin as
a "good call" as they talked about shared interests in the South
China Sea.
The US top diplomat said the alliance between the two
countries is vital to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Last month, Pompeo declared Washington's policy shift in the
South China Sea, expressing support for Southeast Asian nations.
Challenging China's excessive claims in the South China Sea,
Pompeo said Beijing's claims in the area are "completely unlawful."
"The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South
China Sea as its maritime empire," Pompeo said.
The latest US policy affirmed the Philippines' July 2016
arbitral award, which invalidated China's mythical nine-dash line claim over
the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea.
Beijing, on the other hand, rejected Washington's
"exaggeration" of the situation in the South China Sea, accusing
Pompeo of "distorting" facts and international law.
"Under the pretext of preserving stability, it is flexing
muscles, stirring up tension and inciting confrontation in the region. Under
the pretext of endorsing rules, it is using UNCLOS to attack China while
refusing to ratify the Convention itself," the Chinese Embassy in the US
said in a statement.
Following these developments, President Rodrigo Duterte has
ordered the Philippine Navy not to participate in joint naval exercises with
other countries in the South China Sea.
Naval powers, such as the US, Australia, the United Kingdom,
France, India and Japan, have been holding joint maritime drills in the
contested waterway.
Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana
revealed that Duterte gave the directive not to join maritime exercises in the
South China Sea to avoid raising tensions.
"President Rodrigo Duterte has a standing order to us,
to me, that we should not involve ourselves in naval exercises in the South
China Sea except our national waters, the 12 mile distance from our
shores," Lorenzana said.
This article first appeared in Philippine Star
