No new reclamation by China under Duterte’s watch – Palace

Malacañang reiterated yesterday that the Philippine government will continue to rely on China’s good faith and insisted that the Asian giant has not made any new reclamation in disputed areas in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).

Speaking at a press briefing,

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said there was nothing new with the published report of a national daily (not The Manila Bulletin) that China allegedly almost finished its militarization of the artificial islands in the disputed waters.

Roque referred to the report and the photographs to support it as supposed activities that happening even before President Duterte took office.

“Those islands were reclaimed during even the time of the former administration. They were completed, in fact, during the time of the previous administration. And I think, whether or not we like it, they intended to use them as military bases,” Roque said.

“Our position is: Anything found in those islands were already there when the President took over. And let’s not talk about militarization that happened under the Duterte administration, if there is such a militarization which China denies,” he added.

He said the government cannot do anything about China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea except to rely on China’s promise that they will not reclaim anymore new artificial islands in the disputed waters.

He also thinks that China has not curtailed freedom of navigation in the disputed waters despite China’s weapons in the reclaimed islands. He added that it might have really been China’s intention to use or to station military hardware even before the entry of the Duterte administration.

“No new reclamations. No new artificial islands,” he said.

Meanwhile, Roque said that the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III must have already filed a petition when it became obvious that the islands would be used as military bases.

“I think the previous administration must have filed also a protest when it became apparent that they were going to be used as military bases,” Roque said.

“What can we do? Right now, the position of the President is maintain close ties so they wouldn’t have any reason to use those arms in those islands,” he added.

“We expect that China, being not just a member of the United Nations but also a permanent member of the Security Council, will adhere to the prohibition on the use of force,” he said.