Duterte admin ‘not given up too much, too early, too soon’ to China – Roque

Malacañang refuted on Monday the assertions of a maritime expert that the Philippines was giving “too much, too early, too soon” in dealing with China.

“The Duterte administration has certainly not given up too much, too early, too soon in its relation with China nor China has gained more than us,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing.

Roque was referring to the statement of lawyer Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, who said he was wary about Manila “trading away too much, too early and too soon” in seeking better ties with Beijing.

READ: PH giving China ‘too much, too early, too soon’, says UP prof

In a press conference last Saturday, Batongbacal also said: “China is gaining too much from our softness on these issues.”

But Roque rejected such claims.

“On the contrary, we have upheld our national interest and produced tangible benefits for our people in pursuing friendly and mutually-beneficial ties with China,” the Palace official said.

“Our people have been able to resume their right to fish in Scarborough and there is peace in the region. This is over and above the increased arrivals of Chinese tourists, as well as investments from mainland China,” he added.

Roque, an international law expert, said that the Philippine government would continue to defend the country’s sovereign rights in the disputed South China Sea while patching-up Manila’s strained relations with Beijing.

“We have said in a numerous occasions that we will continue to defend our sovereignty and sovereign rights when we discussed our territorial and maritime disputes with China while maximizing the benefits of our people by promoting economic and other relations with China in which they are no contentious issues between us,” he said.

China has refused to recognize the United Nations (UN) arbitral ruling in July 2012, which invalidated Beijing’s sweeping claims over almost all of the South China Sea.   /kga