Philippines to object to exclusion of Western powers in South China Sea

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Monday indicated that the Philippines would object to the exclusion of Western powers from the South China Sea, as what he said China was demanding.

Locsin made the remark during the House appropriations panel deliberations on the proposed budget of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

"China's demand to exclude the Western powers from the South China Sea, that I will never allow," Locsin told lawmakers during the briefing.

"The Western powers must be present in the South China Sea as a balancer," he added.

China claims a huge swathe of the South China Sea as part of its territory, but the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidated this claim in July 2016 following a case filed by the Philippines in 2013.

Although the United States is not a party to the disputes, it has declared that it is in its national interest to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight in the strategic waterway.

Earlier, the United States imposed sanctions on several Chinese companies and their officials for allegedly helping China build artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea.

The sanctions included visa restrictions and inclusion of 24 Chinese state-owned firms on the US Commerce Department's "Entity List" which allows it to block exports of US goods and materials to them, according to US government officials.

China has said the sanctions on the Chinese companies were unjust as the constructions were reportedly being done inside their own territory.

Malacañang, meanwhile, said the Philippines respects the decision of the United States to impose the sanctions. -NB, GMA News