Chinese President Xi Jinping Assures Their Vessels Passing Through Philippines Pose No Threat
XI JINPING – The Chinese President assured President Duterte that the Chinese vessels passing Philippine waters pose no threat.
President Xi said that because these vessel pose no threat, they don’t need to secure permits to sail across the West Philippine (South China) Sea. The Chinese President cited the United Nations Convention of the Sea (Unclos) and said that it doesn’t require a permit for foreign ships to pass through territorial waters of a country.
According to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the Chinese President’s assurance to Duterte was made during their bilateral talks in Beijing. In a text message sent to reporters on Wednesday, Lorenzana confirmed that Duterte opened the issue regarding the unauthorized vessel passages.
Xi stated previously that the Chinese ships are merely passing through Philippine waters and do not have any ill-intentions against Manila. Despite this, President Duterte said that his order for foreign ships to secure a permit would still be enforced.
Duterte’s orders came following the Western Mindanao Command reported Chinese warships passing through Sibutu Strait. The warships’ automatic identification systems were turned off during their passage and informed no authorities.
According to a report from Inquirer, when Philippine Military got wind of the Chinese Warships, they presumably changed courses, which led to Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana stating that this was not an “innocent passage”.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the Philippines has over 60 diplomatic protests filed against China. Of the 60 protests, 24 were issued under his term and the remaining 39 were issued under former DFA chief Alan Peter Cayetano.
Locsin stated that even though filing a diplomatic protest is like throwing paper to a brick wall, he would still do it. He said that experts believe that he should continue filing reports .
In doing so, nobody can say that we have given up our rights, Locsin said. He also stated that he changed his approach from “diplomatic niceties” to a more “direct and objective” protests.
Thanks for reading our article. We aim to provide our readers with the freshest and most in-demand content. Come back next time for the latest news here on Philnews.
Like this article? READ ALSO: Palace Accepts Chinese Shipowner’s Apology In Recto Bank Collision
