Philippines to Hold Summit at UN to Discuss Diplomatic Solutions with China

September 11, 2024 TruthUSA

The Philippine Ambassador to the United States stated that his country is not willing to give up any of its territory, even in the face of China’s aggression in the South China Sea.

A summit of at least 20 nations is being planned by the Philippines on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in the upcoming weeks in an effort to convince the Chinese regime to reconsider its aggressive actions in the South China Sea.

Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Ambassador of the Philippines to the United States, disclosed this plan on September 10 at the Future Security Forum 2024 in Washington. This event is organized annually by Arizona State University and the think tank New America.

“The Philippines has never faced a challenge like this since World War II,” Romualdez remarked.

Recent weeks have seen escalating tensions between China and the Philippines, with Manila openly criticizing Beijing for various aggressive actions such as ramming boats, using water cannons, and firing flares at aircraft. Most of these incidents have occurred at Sabina Shoal, known to the Philippines as Escoda Shoal and to China as Xianbin Jiao.

The most recent incident took place on August 31, with Manila alleging that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel deliberately collided with its patrol vessel multiple times without provocation.

In August, Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the Philippine National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, emphasized in a post that Sabina Shoal lies within the country’s exclusive economic zone as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and a ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague from 2016.

The ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague invalidated China’s “nine-dash line” claim to a significant portion of the South China Sea.

“Currently, China has around 238 ships or militia vessels present in our vicinity, persistently engaging in such behavior,” Romualdez highlighted.

He mentioned that the summit is scheduled for the week of September 22.

The 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly commenced on September 10 and will end on September 30.

‘Band Together’

Romualdez stressed the significance of multilateral approaches in addressing China’s actions in the South China Sea.

“When countries come together and send a clear message to China that their actions are not in alignment with history, there is a higher likelihood that they will reconsider their actions,” the ambassador expressed.

The goal is to show China that many nations are unhappy with their actions in the Indo-Pacific region.

In an August 26 article, Gordon Chang, a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and author of “The Coming Collapse of China,” suggested that Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has set his sights on a weak neighbor by aggressing against the Philippines, potentially leading to broader conflict in the region involving global players like the United States, Russia, and North Korea.

The Philippines and the United States have a mutual defense treaty. President Joe Biden reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to the defense of the Philippines during a meeting with Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in New York City in 2022.

“We will not cede any of our territory,” Romualdez declared. “Losing even an inch will set a dangerous precedent that could affect other nations as well.”

“We are currently engaging with neighboring countries like Malaysia, Brunei, and Vietnam who have similar territorial claims in the region to collaborate and address the situation collectively,” he added.

In the past year, Beijing issued a new map featuring a “10-dash line” to expand its claims in the South China Sea.

Romualdez cautioned that China might not stop there and could continue to assert its claims by increasing the dashes on the map to 11, 12, or even 13.

“China appears to have ambitions of dominance, especially in the Indo-Pacific region,” he remarked.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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