PH pushes back, hits China's 'projection' in WPS row

The Department of National Defense (DND) on Saturday said China was “projecting” onto the Philippines and its defense partners by urging Manila to “cease infringement, provocation and propaganda.”

In a statement, DND spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong said the Philippines would not tolerate China’s alleged blackmail and stressed that it is China that poses a real threat to regional stability.

“Their words do not reflect the reality in the West Philippine Sea and the broader South China Sea. Their lies range from mislabeling legitimate actions to inventing ‘history,’” Andolong said.

“We shall use China’s own words and make them more believable: ‘The Philippines will not tolerate the blackmailing by those who provoke first and then play the victim.’ This is precisely what the Philippines is doing in reaction to China’s actions,” he added.

Andolong also commented on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s earlier call to “resist unilateral bullying, oppose protectionism, and prevent the world from returning to the law of the jungle.”

“In the Southeast Asian jungles, our indigenous peoples—whose heritage and customs we protect—are more law-abiding than China,” he said.

“The Philippines will remain undeterred in asserting its national interests in the West Philippine Sea and in upholding international law and the rules-based international order,” Andolong added.

On Friday, China’s Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Senior Colonel Jiang Bin accused the Philippines of causing regional instability by “drawing in outside forces” into the West Philippine Sea through joint military exercises.

“China will neither tolerate the blackmail by those who provoke first and play the victim, nor indulge the provocation by those who stir up troubles in collusion with outside powers,” Jiang said.

He added that defense cooperation among countries “should neither target nor harm the interests of any third party, nor undermine regional peace and stability.”

He claimed that the “root cause” of tensions is the Philippines’ alleged provocations with foreign partners.

Jiang also reiterated China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea based on what it calls historical context, rejecting what he described as “unfounded accusations that propagate false narratives and distort legal facts.”

“China stands firm and resolute in safeguarding our territorial sovereignty and protecting our maritime rights and interests,” he said.

“We urge the Philippine side to stop undermining joint efforts by regional countries in pursuing peace and development, and cease its infringement, provocation and propaganda. Otherwise, the higher it jumps, the harder it will fall.”

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, a key trade route worth more than $3 trillion annually.

China's territorial claim includes areas within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, as well as zones claimed by Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines, declaring China’s expansive claims had “no legal basis.” China has refused to recognize the ruling.—Jiselle Anne Casucian/MCG, GMA Integrated News