Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (pia.gov.ph)
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana believes China will not fire the first shot if the West Philippine Sea dispute reaches boiling point.
Lorenzana made the statement a day after he described China as a “bully” and said Beijing would not get the trust of Filipinos if it did not match its words with actions.
He pointed out that China gets 85 percent of its fuel requirement from the Middle East, a huge chunk of which passes through the crucial waters.
“We believe that they don’t want war there in the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea. Ambassador Zhao [Jianhua] said ‘why would we want war there in the South China Sea?’” the defense chief said, referring to a conversation with the Chinese ambassador on Monday.
The encounter between the two happened during the 92nd anniversary celebration of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China, hosted by the Chinese mission.
“That is very comforting because they (Chinese) are not going to start [a war]. So, we can sleep soundly at night because they are not going to be aggressive and fire the first shot,” Lorenzana said.
Lorenzana also told reporters how he countered the remarks of a PLA general, Wei Fenghe, during a meeting of defense ministers in June.
General Wei, he said, claimed China was a good neighbor in South China Sea and adhered to international law.
“I disagreed. I told him what you saying is not reflective of what’s happening on the ground. I said your reclamation of the reefs, turning them into islands, putting up of facilities, you militarized the area,” Lorenzana said.
“You’ve brought military equipment there, you’re militarizing the area, leading to an arms race. I said you are actually driving a mini arms race in the region where we, small countries, instead of using our money for development, we’re now buying arms now,” he added.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday hit the government’s “doormat” foreign policy, amid incursions of Chinese warships in Philippine seas, reportedly including China’s first aircraft carrier, Liaoning, across the Sibutu Passage in Tawi-Tawi.
“While the Sibutu strait is considered an international waterway where the commercial vessels’ right of innocent passage is upheld, the unannounced entry of Chinese armed warships into our territory is unacceptable, especially if China requires foreign warships to inform it of their presence before passing through its waters,” Hontiveros said.
“We must not allow China to get away with its double standards. The Duterte government must put its foot down and officially bring this matter before the Chinese government,” she added. (PressONE.ph)
