Chinese expert questions Philippine president's speech on South China Sea issue

A Chinese military expert on Friday questioned what Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on the South China Sea issue in his speech at the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore.

The Philippine side is breaking rules, provoking confrontations, creating "small cliques," and relying on external countries regarding the South China Sea issue, said Lieutenant General He Lei, former vice president of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and one of China's experts attending the annual defense and security forum in Asia.

He made the remarks at a press briefing on Friday night following the speech by Marcos, who claimed that the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries had a vision for "peace, stability and prosperity" in the South China Sea, but that was being undermined by "other actors," stopping short of naming China.

"The Philippines has accused its neighbors of violating the rules-based international order in the South China Sea, but who is actually violating the rules in the South China Sea?" asked He.

He said that taking disputes over islands and reefs in the South China Sea to an "international arbitral tribunal" violated the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which stipulates that bilateral negotiations are the means to resolving border and other disputes between countries.

It also violated China's rights as a state party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the interim forming of the "international arbitral tribunal" was also in violation of international rules, he said.

"China always believes that the international rules are not 'one family's laws and regulations' of a small number of countries, but laws and regulations that reflect the interests of the vast majority of countries," said He.

China is an active participant and solid defender of these rules, and abides by them, he added.

He noted that during the six-year tenure of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, the situation in the South China Sea had remained relatively stable, with no major disputes.

However, since Marcos came to power in June 2022, disputes have frequently arisen, from the Ren'ai Jiao to the Huangyan Dao, in the South China Sea, he said.

The responsibility for the growing disputes lies with the Philippines, which has been constantly stirring up troubles, and with the U.S. orchestrating behind the scenes, He noted.

China has always believed that all countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are on an equal footing, he said.

"China will never bully smaller countries, and it has never bullied smaller countries," he said. But China has principles and its bottom line, and it will not allow certain countries to act recklessly, he added.

He also questioned the claim by the Philippine president that the presence of the United States was "crucial to regional peace."

Resolving disputes and maintaining peace in the South China Sea depends on the countries in the region and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), rather than external countries, he said.

"I have a question for the Philippines. What is the relationship between ASEAN centrality and U.S. leadership in the Asia-Pacific region? Which is more important, ASEAN or the Squad?" he asked, referring to the Philippines forming of a small group with the U.S., Japan and Australia.

The Philippines claims to uphold ASEAN centrality, but it is actually strengthening the U.S.-Philippine military alliance; and it claims to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea, but it is actually enthusiastically engaging in bloc confrontation, He said.

China firmly opposes intervention by countries outside the region in the South China Sea issue, since evidence indicates that the issue, to a large extent, has been instigated by external countries, he said.

"These countries outside the region are the architects and agitators of the South China Sea issue," he said. "I hope everyone will keep their eyes open and remain vigilant."