Duterte-Xi meeting may tackle South China Sea dispute

A Malacañang official said it would be better if President Duterte would push through with his China visit next week so he can meet President Xi Jinping and talk about the South China Sea dispute face to face.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles made the statement following the strongly-worded statements

released by Malacañang regarding the presence of Chinese vessels circling Philippine-occupied islands in the West Philippine Sea.

According to Nograles, it would be preferable if the two leaders would personally talk about the developments in the disputed waters.

"I think it's political posturing to push through with the trip para may face to face between our leaders and counterparts," he said.

"Wala naman tayong tinatago. Wala naman tayo ikinababahala in terms of ano ba yung our relations (We are not hiding anything. We have nothing to worry about in terms of our relations)," he added.

Duterte is set to fly to China on Wednesday for the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. It would be his fourth visit to the Asian powerhouse.

Earlier, Malacañang said that it would be up to Duterte or Xi if they would raise the South China Sea issue and if Duterte would assert the 2016 Hague ruling favoring the Philippines in the disputed waters.

Early this week, Duterte said that the Philippines and China should meet halfway in addressing the issue in the West Philippine Sea since insisting on the arbitral ruling now may end up in a bloodbath.

"Gusto nila na I will confront China. 'Pag ginawa ko 'yan (They want me to confront China. If I do that), it will be a massacre... They can bomb us to the heavens," he said Wednesday night.

"But there will be a time, at sabihin ko sa China ngayon (and I will tell China now), that they should also meet halfway," he added.

Last week, President Duterte told China to lay off Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea, saying he will not hesitate to shed blood if the Chinese would harm Filipinos in the Pag-asa Island.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo also urged China to respect the 2016 Hague ruling which is anchored on international law accepted by countries across the globe.

"We reiterate our unchanged stance — the arbitral ruling is irreversible, the same being based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and international law accepted by most, if not by all, nations. It has the stamp of permanence," he said.

"We urge the Chinese government to respect it, and we hope the mechanism of bilateral negotiations between the countries forge a mutually satisfactory solution to the conflict based on internationally accepted principles of justice and reciprocity, as well as anchored on the dictates of each national security and aspirations of their people," he added.

Panelo also said that the Hague ruling was not shelved but was just unenforceable.

Flexing military muscle

Meanwhile, China will show off new warships, including nuclear submarines and destroyers, at a parade next week marking 70 years since its navy's founding, a senior commander said on Saturday, as Beijing flexes its increasingly well-equipped military muscle.

President Xi Jinping is overseeing a sweeping plan to refurbish the People's Liberation Army (PLA) by developing everything from stealth jets to aircraft carriers as China ramps up its presence in the South China Sea and around selfruled Taiwan.

The navy has been a key beneficiary of the modernization plan as China looks to project power far from the country's shores and protect its trading routes and citizens overseas.

Last month, Beijing unveiled a target of 7.5 percent rise in defense spending for this year, a slower rate than last year but still outpacing China's economic growth target.

Deputy naval commander Qiu Yanpeng told reporters in the eastern city of Qingdao that Tuesday's naval parade – likely to be overseen by Xi himself, though China has not confirmed that – will feature 32 vessels and 39 aircraft.

“The PLA Navy ship and aircraft to be revealed are the Liaoning aircraft carrier, new types of nuclear submarines, new types of destroyers, as well as fighter aircraft,” Qiu said, without giving details. “Some ships will be revealed for the first time.”

The Liaoning, the country's first carrier, was bought second-hand from Ukraine in 1998 and refitted in China.

It's not clear if China's second carrier, an as-yet unnamed ship developed and built purely in China, will also take part, but in the past few days state media has run stories praising recent sea trials. (With a report from Reuters)