Manila's legislative trick only fools itself

This photo taken on May 16, 2024 shows a view at dusk in the South China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua]

This is an editorial from China Daily.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr signed into law the Maritime Zones Act and Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act last week to try and make the Philippines' acts that infringe upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the South China Sea appear lawful.

The move only serves to ruin the positive momentum that has developed in the two sides' serial contacts over the past months to settle their maritime disputes through negotiations. It also sends the message to the Marcos government's patrons in Washington that despite the impending change of administration in the United States, Manila can still be counted on to be a reliable pawn of the US doing Washington's bidding to confront China.

The two acts illegally include China's Huangyan Island and most of the islands and reefs of China's Nansha Islands, and their adjacent waters into the Philippines' maritime zones, and are not compatible with international law and the resolutions of the International Maritime Organization.

The Philippines aims to further solidify the illegal arbitral award on the South China Sea in the form of domestic legislation. The so-called arbitral award on the South China Sea is illegal, null and void. China therefore does not accept or recognize it, and it thus opposes and does not accept any claim or action based on the award.

China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea are solidly grounded in history and the law, comply with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and will not be affected by any domestic law of the Philippines.

This domestic legislation of the Philippines seriously violates the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and will only make the situation in the South China Sea more complex. It is the Marcos government's one-sided pro-US policy that has been the root cause for the worsening of the situation in the South China Sea and the deterioration of Sino-Philippine relations, as Washington tries to make Manila its pawn to continuously provoke Beijing.

Manila should stop the tricks that only fool itself, and come back to the negotiation table with Beijing. China reserves the right to take all measures necessary. The Chinese government announced the territorial sea baseline of Huangyan Island according to the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone Law on Sunday. The farther Manila proceeds in the wrong direction it is going on the issue, the smaller space it will have to wiggle in as Beijing will take every chance to secure China's core interests.

China and the Philippines are close neighbors, and good neighborliness, mutually beneficial cooperation and common development are in the fundamental interests of both countries. The positive and negative lessons of China-Philippines relations in recent years have proved time and again that it is not easy to build good relations, but it is easy to destroy them.

China-Philippines relations are facing serious difficulties and challenges, which are rooted in the fact that the Philippine side has repeatedly reneged on its commitments and violated the consensus of the two sides to resolve their maritime disputes through negotiations. The key to putting relations back on the right track is for the Philippine side to fulfill its commitments and refrain from speculating on the US support and its public opinion stunts.

During his meeting with his Chinese counterpart in July, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said that the Philippines is committed to easing the situation through dialogue and consultation, and is willing to strengthen communication with China in a sincere and pragmatic manner to enhance mutual trust and improve bilateral relations.

Now the dust has settled on the US presidential election, there is no doubt that the China-Philippines relations are at a new crossroad and the only way to avoid conflict and confrontation is for Manila to choose the path of dialogue and consultation. Manila should reevaluate the situation and honor its words with deeds.