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WORLD NEWS Friday 30 august 2019

Duterte in China amid expectation he'll raise sea disputes

Associated Press past." two Chinese research ships
BEIJING (AP) — Visiting Phil- Santa Romana added that have also been operating
ippine President Rodrigo Duterte is in Beijing "to build in the Philippines' exclusive
Duterte held talks Thursday bridges, not to burn bridges economic zone.
with his Chinese counter- with China." Meanwhile, Philippine mili-
part, Xi Jinping, in which It's unlikely that Duterte's tary spokesman Brig. Gen.
the Southeast Asian leader move will have any effect Edgard Arevalo accused
was expected to discuss on China, said Jay Batong- China of "duplicity," say-
a ruling on the disputed bacal, a maritime affairs ing the Chinese warships
South China Sea. scholar at the University of shut off their identification
The 2016 Hague arbitration the Philippines. transponders while passing
ruling mostly invalidated "China's position will not through Philippine waters
China's claim to virtually change just because to avoid radar detection.
the entire South China Sea Duterte changes tune," Ba- China has said it is ready to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, second from left, speaks to
and found that it violated tongbacal said. "At best, work with the Philippines to Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) during their meeting
the U.N. Convention on the Duterte might be seen as jointly safeguard maritime at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Thursday, Aug. 29,
Law of the Sea. using the arbitration discus- security and order. q 2019. Associated Press
The row over the waters sion as a move to leverage
— a major global shipping other concessions. At worst,
route thought to be rich in it may be just for show."
oil and gas reserves — has At the start of Thursday's
for years marred China's meeting, Xi said he was will-
relationship with the Philip- ing to work with Duterte to
pines and other neighbor- "grasp the current situation"
ing countries with rival ter- from a long-term, strategic
ritorial claims. Beijing has perspective.
transformed a string of dis- "This will not only benefit
puted reefs into missile-pro- our two countries and our
tected island bases. peoples, but also will pro-
Duterte, however, has vide positive energy to the
largely avoided the subject region," Xi said.
in favor of seeking warmer Neither leader mentioned
ties with Beijing. Philippine the South China Sea in their
nationalists and left-wing introductory remarks in the
groups have criticized the presence of reporters.
president for not demand- China refused to partici-
ing Chinese compliance pate in the arbitration case
with the arbitration ruling, initiated by Duterte's pre-
which came the same year decessor, Benigno Aquino
Duterte took office. III, and has ignored the
Philippine Ambassador ruling. A Chinese foreign
to China Jose Santiago ministry spokesman said
"Chito" Santa Romana told last week that the country's
reporters Thursday that stance has not changed.
Duterte has mentioned the Philippine Defense Sec-
ruling to Xi several times, retary Delfin Lorenzana
but not in a direct discus- asked Beijing this month
sion as he planned to do to explain the activities of
this meeting. Chinese research vessels
Duterte "has exerted a lot and warships in what the
of diplomatic capital to Philippines claims as its wa-
build a reservoir of goodwill ters, and accused China of
and friendship with Presi- "bullying."
dent Xi," Santa Romana Lorenzana said China
said. "So he has decided did not ask for permission
that it's time to include in to send several warships
the diplomatic agenda through the Sibutu Strait
and in the discussions sen- at the southern tip of the
sitive issues that may have Philippine archipelago on
caused misunderstanding four occasions between
if it were brought up in the February and July. He said