Duterte welcomes arbitration ruling

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte barely touched on the South China Sea dispute with China in his first State of the Nation Address Monday, welcoming the arbitral tribunal’s ruling on July 12.

“With regard to the West Philippine Sea otherwise known as [ South] China Sea, we strongly affirm and respect the outcome of the case before the permanent Court of Arbitration as an important contribution to the ongoing efforts to pursue the peaceful resolution and management of our disputes,” stated Duterte, a lawyer who took office 26 days ago.

In his speech, Duterte mostly touched on his commitment to fight crime and corruption.

“Duterte has been pressured by Philippine society and media to stand against China,” Li Kaisheng, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of So- cial Sciences, told the Global Times.

Li said that the Philippine government clearly knows that economic and trade cooperation with China is necessary, and the new administration is waiting for the proper timing.

Duterte has appointed former President Fidel Ramos as Philippine envoy for talks with Beijing at the Boao Forum 2016 to discuss the importance of bilateral relations and the steady development in Sino- Philippine trade, according to previous reports.

“Ramos’ meeting with high- level officials from China aims to set disputes aside and seek common interests with China,” Li added.

“Manila is making efforts to reach out to different sides to adjust its future strategy.”

Li added that US Secretary of State John Kerry will be visiting Manila this week, and his goal to weigh in on the disputes is obvious.