US under Trump to maintain support in WPS, PH envoy says

The United States under the Trump administration will continue its support for the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue, Manila's envoy to Washington said Monday.

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said there will be no changes in the policy with change in the US presidency.

“I don’t think there will be any [changes] dahil narinig natin yung (because we heard in the) confirmation hearing ni incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio, very clear na the United States will be very supportive of Taiwan, the Philippines, and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region that’s facing the challenges with China,” Romualdez told Unang Balita in an interview.

For Rubio, China's actions towards the Philippines and Taiwan are making the US focus on the region "in ways we prefer not to have to.”

“There's this massive, I don't even know how to describe it, but this massive ship that the Chinese have built, that's like it's headed to the Philippines and the Philippines feels threatened by it, rightfully so," Rubio said.

“They really need to stop messing around with Taiwan and the Philippines because it's forcing us to focus our attention in ways we prefer not to have to," he added.

Aside from this, Romualdez said the embassy is already in talks with the incoming US officials for national security to discuss the matter.

“They are also convinced na kailangan talaga ang Indo-Pacific region must remain free. Suportado nila yung mga countries that are fighting off this attempt to dominate the South China Sea,” he added.

(They are also convinced that the Indo-Pacific region must remain free. They support the countries that are fighting off this attempt to dominate the South China Sea.)

On Sunday, China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 5901, also known as the monster ship, moved away from the Zambales coast but another Chinese vessel CCG 3304 approached the area.

The PCG first confirmed the presence of the monster ship near Capones Island on January 4.

PCG spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said the PCG has been issuing hourly radio challenges to the CCG to call out that their Chinese operations within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is a violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun earlier defended their ship's intrusion inside Philippine territory.

"We have responded to similar questions multiple times. Let me reiterate that China’s sovereignty and rights and interests in the South China Sea were established in  the long course of history, and are solidly grounded in history and the law and compliant with the international law and practice," the official said.

Guo maintained the CCG "conducts patrols and law enforcement activities in relevant waters in accordance with the law, which is fully justified."

"We call on the Philippines once again to immediately stop all infringement activities, provocations and false accusations, and stop all its actions that jeopardize peace and stability and complicate the situation in the South China Sea," he added.

Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China has since refused to recognize the decision. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News