Teodoro hits China over ‘inconsistent’ stance on UNCLOS, South China Sea

A Philippine flag is seen perched on a Philippine Coast Guard-manned vessel as it conducts patrols at Whitsun Reef, South China Sea, in a handout photo distributed by the Philippine Coast Guard on April 15 and taken according to the source either on April 13 or 14, 2021. Handout, Philippine Coast Guard MANILA — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday called out China for its “inconsistent” position on international law, saying Beijing claims to recognize the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) but refuses to accept the 2016 arbitral ruling on the South China Sea.

In an interview on ANC’s Headstart, Teodoro said China had expressed support for UNCLOS and the peaceful settlement of disputes during the recently concluded ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Cebu.

However, he pointed out that the arbitral award, which invalidated China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, was issued pursuant to the international convention.

“They’ve always been saying that, but it’s their version. But they do not recognize the arbitral award,” Teodoro said.

His remarks came amid China’s criticism of the Philippines’ handling of its participation in the regional defense meeting, as tensions persist over competing claims in the West Philippine Sea.

Teodoro also rejected Beijing’s accusations that the Philippines deliberately obstructed China’s participation in the ADMM-Plus and acted out of personal interest in organizing the gathering.

China had criticized Manila’s handling of the invitations, claiming that it was given insufficient time to prepare for the meeting. Beijing also questioned the invitation’s signing and the Philippines’ conduct as host.

China sent its defense attaché instead of Defense Minister Dong Jun to the Cebu gathering.

Teodoro denied that other ASEAN member-states had privately raised concerns about the Philippines’ handling of China’s participation.

“No. That’s not true. If not, they would have told me directly in a letter addressed to me, or a phone call addressed to me. That did not happen,” he said.

He maintained that the meeting was successful, citing the recognition given by ASEAN member-states and other participating countries.

“And if China has concerns, they should address it to the ASEAN member states,” he said.

Teodoro also criticized Beijing for making statements about ASEAN’s internal processes, saying external countries cannot speak on behalf of the bloc’s members.

“No external party can speak for and on behalf of any ASEAN member country. So China is arrogating unto itself a prerogative of ASEAN and a confidentiality or a process which belongs solely to ASEAN,” he said.

He acknowledged that China’s decision to send a lower-level representative could be a statement about how Beijing viewed the ADMM-Plus under the Philippines’ chairmanship.

Despite disagreements with China, Teodoro said the Cebu meetings showed progress in practical defense cooperation among ASEAN members and their dialogue partners.

He cited the first ASEAN interoperability exercise, called Trident Sword, which focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR), as well as other ground-based exercises.

He also highlighted the first joint cooperative activity in Subic under the Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security, co-led by the Philippines and Japan.

“I think the biggest gains there were not in the meeting, but what was reported in the meeting which cataloged the year-long activities that were being done by the working groups and by the different armed forces and the different elements within the ASEAN,” he said.

The ADMM-Plus brings together the 10 ASEAN member-states and eight dialogue partners: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States.