Xi to Duterte: China doesn’t recognize pro-PHL ruling on South China Sea claims

President Rodrigo Duterte raised the Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling favorable to the Philippines' claims in the South China Sea in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

According to Joseph Morong's report on "24 Oras", Xi countered by saying China did not recognize the arbitral ruling that invalidated the country's historical but excessive claims in the said waters.

"The President raised this and the Chinese maintained their position. So there are differences," Ambassador Chito Sta. Romana said.

The arbitral ruling, sought by the Phlippines under the Aquino administration, upheld the country's exclusive economic zone.

The Duterte administration recently said that Chinese vessels had no business lingering in waters off Pag-Asa and other Philippine-held islands in the Spratlys.

Sta. Romana, however, ,said the two leaders agreed that one country was not a threat to the other. He, however, would not say if this meant the Chinese would pull out of the waters around the islands they call Nansha.

"There is no need for China. It's a waste of time to just stay there. And the Chinese took note of this," Sta. Romana said.

"Because the Phlippines, we are not a threat to China and the Chinese indicated also that they will stick to their policy of peace development," he added.

The Philippines and China have agreed to tackle their differences bilaterally.

It used to support a multilateral approach as regards the overlapping claims in the South China Sea.

Aside from the Philippines and China, other claimants include Taiwan and ASEAN member-states Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. —NB, GMA News