No word on Panatag at Duterte-Xi meet; bilateral talks to follow

Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc is a traditional fishing ground of coastal communities in Zambales. Philstar/File photo | By Alexis Romero

BEIJING – There was no word about allowing Filipino fishermen to enter the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal during the bilateral meeting of President Rodrigo Duterte and China President Xi Jinping Thursday even as the two agreed to hold bilateral talks on the South China Sea row.

 

Duterte said early this month that he would ask Chinese leaders to grant Filipino fishers access to the shoal, a traditional fishing ground occupied by China since 2012.

 

China claims historic rights over the shoal even if it is located 124 nautical miles from the nearest point in Zambales, well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

 

Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said the issue surrounding Panatag Shoal, which China calls Huangyan, was not discussed during the meeting between Duterte and Xi.

 

“The two presidents did not mention the issue of the Huangyan Island but they did talk about the cooperation in fisheries. They agreed that the two countries will strengthen fisheries cooperation in the South China Sea and also cooperation in terms of fishery products, industries,” Lui told reporters in an interview here.  

 

“The two sides will have a more exchange of views on the fisheries cooperation and China will make proper arrangements,” he added.

 

Liu said China would also support the Philippines in developing aquaculture and fishery products processing “to help deliver a better life for the fishermen of the Philippines.”

 

The Philippines and China have also agreed to hold dialogues on the South China Sea, a move that Liu said signaled the “full recovery” of the friendship between the two countries.

 

“The two presidents agreed that China and the Philippines will return to track of dialogue and consultation to properly handle the South China Sea issue. This, in itself, signifies a new stage of maritime cooperation between the two countries,” Liu said.  

 

“China is ready for discussions with our friends in the Philippines on maritime cooperation and cooperation in many other areas. And the details will be further discussed by the responsible authorities of both sides following this visit,” he added.

 

Philippine officials have yet to issue a statement on the bilateral meeting.

 

The Philippines’ decision to hold dialogues with China on the maritime dispute is a departure from the policy of the Aquino administration, which insisted that the issue be settled through multilateral channels.

 

China claims about 90 percent of the resource-rich South China Sea but this is being contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

 

In 2013, the Philippines under Aquino questioned the legality of China’s expansive claim before an international arbitral tribunal, further straining the ties between Manila and Beijing.

 

The tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines in July, declaring China’s territorial claim as without legal basis. China is not recognizing the decision, saying the “illegal” ruling did not affect its territorial rights.

 

The Philippines’ relationship with China warmed up when Duterte assumed office in July and expressed readiness to hold bilateral negotiations to resolve the West Philippine Sea row.

 

Duterte has given assurances that he would not bargain the Philippines’ maritime claims and would stick to the arbitral tribunal’s ruling when talking to China.

 

He said, though, that he would not impose on China for now and that issues that cannot be resolved immediately can be set aside.

 

Duterte also expressed intentions to improve ties with China following a spat with the US over his brutal crackdown on narcotics, which American officials have criticized for supposedly encouraging extralegal killings.  

  

'Historic visit'

 

Liu said Duterte’s four-day state visit is a “historic one” because it brought the Philippines-China relations “back to the track of friendship.”

 

“It marks the new stage of the practical cooperation between the two countries that it means that a new page is now open between the two countries in addressing the South China Sea issue through bilateral consultations,” the Chinese foreign ministry official said.

 

“The two sides have agreed to fully recover the interactions between the two countries including the diplomatic consultation, the defense security consultation and recover the work of various bilateral working mechanisms such as the joint committee on commerce and trade, on agriculture, on science and technology,” he added.

 

Political parties and legislative bodies of the Philippines and China are also expected to hold interactions in many areas.  

 

“China will also take an active part in the infrastructure development in the Philippines and provide financing support to the Philippines in this aspect,” Liu said. 

The Presidential Communications Office in Manila said in a statement Thursday that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has also committed $9 billion in low-interest loans to the Duterte administration, which has set aside territorial disputes in a bid for Beijing's help.

The money will go toward funding development projects. The Presidential Communications Office said about a third of the $9 billion loan offer will come from private banks.

About $15 million in loans will go toward drug rehabilitation programs.