Gibo Teodoro on how China can ‘earn trust of Filipino people’

SECOND STINT Newly appointed Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro becomes a “groufie” target following arrival honors welcoming him—again—at Camp Aguinaldo on Wednesday. Teodoro held the same post during the Arroyo administration. —File picture from GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

China should abide by international law to earn the trust of Filipinos, Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro said on Thursday, following disconnects between Beijing’s words and its actions on maritime disputes in the South China Sea.

“As a stronger country, it has a bigger obligation to be magnanimous and show trust and to earn the trust of the Filipino people by conforming its activities to recognize norms of international law,” Teodoro said at a briefing in Malacañang.

“We are talking about the arbitral award. It has already been stated by our two past presidents that our rights and our territory are defined by Unclos (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and it has been stated too that this cannot be frittered away or bargained away by passages of administration,” he added.

In July 2016, the international arbitral tribunal, which was created under Unclos, ruled in favor of the Philippines, which challenged China’s expansive claims to nearly the entire South China, including parts of the 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines.

READ: Teodoro on China’s aggression on WPS: PH not pawn in geopolitical tensions

The tribunal’s ruling, which Beijing refuses to recognize, nullified China’s claims within its so-called nine-dash line, saying it had no historical basis, and upheld the Philippine sovereign rights over its EEZ.

The defense chief’s remarks were in reaction to the question raised by Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard during a security dialogue in Singapore over the weekend.

Tarriela pointed out the “apparent disconnect” between China’s talks of holding dialogues and being confrontational in its actions.

‘Deconfliction’

According to Teodoro, China has to be transparent, saying that this is “the best way to build trust.”

He said he would be pushing for “deconfliction” in the South China Sea to ease the longstanding maritime disputes in the strategic waterway.

“If we can talk, then let’s talk,” he said. But he remained firm that the Philippines would not bargain away its territory on any matter.

He pointed out that the country’s decision to modernize its military capabilities were “for purely defensive purposes and deterrent purposes.”

“Establishing our credible deterrence, establishing our ability to defend ourselves is our own business. If we partner with anyone, that should not be the concern of others,” he said.

In recent statements, Chinese officials, including China’s ambassador to the Philippines, criticized American foreign policy toward Beijing and the China-Taiwan conflict and Manila’s closer, especially military, ties with Washington under President Marcos than during the Duterte administration.

Still, a ‘big market’

The Philippines and the United States have a 72-year-old Mutual Defense Treaty.But Teodoro, who was appointed by Mr. Marcos on Monday to serve again as defense chief, admitted that China remained a “big market” for the Philippines, and the United States realizes that, too.

“Relations between two countries are not monodimensional; there are other relationships that we need to build up,” he said.

On Wednesday, Mr. Marcos told Philippine ambassadors at a meeting in Malacañang to look for nontraditional partners to boost the country’s trade, security, and defense requirements.

“We are constantly now—after all the changes that have been imposed upon us, like the pandemic economy and the world situation—looking for what we sometimes referred to as nontraditional partners in trades, in any kind, in security and defense issues. All these things, we are always looking for partners,” the President said. But the President stressed that Philippines would follow an “independent” foreign policy under his administration and Manila would not lean toward any of the world powers.

“We do not subscribe to any notion of a bipolar world,” he said. “We only side, of course, to the Philippines, not to the US, not to Beijing, not to Moscow. That’s very much being independent in what we do.”

In response to this, Teodoro said the Philippines has partnered with Israel, Korea and Sweden for defense cooperation.

“I think the marching order is to look for a proper fit—whatever serves our needs and whatever will jibe with our national security, territorial integrity and interoperability with our present complement,” he said.