Palace: Philippines won't take part in US-China fight for 'hegemony'

The Philippines will remain neutral amid rising US-China tensions, Malacañang said Tuesday, as the two world powers jostle for influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

This comes after China accused visiting US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien of attempting to sow discord between the Philippines and China following his remarks on the South China Sea dispute.

“I cannot speak either for the national security adviser of the US or the spokesperson of China. I can only speak for the President,” Palace spokesperson Harry Roque told a news conference.

“The President has said that there will be increased tensions among superpowers in the region. We do not want to take part in that drive for hegemony. We will assert our national interest and we would want a peaceful resolution to the West Philippine Sea dispute,” he added.

China claims the South China Sea nearly in its entirety and maintains it has historical and indisputable claim over it, despite the 2016 decision of The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that invalidated Beijing’s massive claims following a lawsuit filed by the Philippines.

On Monday, O’Brien said only the Filipino people should exploit the natural resources in Philippine-claimed features in the South China Sea, a portion of which Manila refers to as the West Philippine Sea.

O'Brien, who turned over $18 million worth of missile package to the Philippines, also renewed Washington's pledge to defend Manila if it comes under attack in the South China Sea.

The Philippines and the US have a 69-year-old Mutual Defense Treaty.

At the 15th East Asia Summit on November 14, President Rodrigo Duterte warned against making the South China Sea “another locus of power play.”

“It is a dangerous game to play and one without a victor,” the President told fellow Asian leaders.

“Let us lower tensions, not raise them; build confidence rather than doubts; listen and understand instead of threaten,” he said. —KBK, GMA News