The Manila Times
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday reiterated that China was “not a reliable partner” on the negotiating table despite ongoing talks on the possibility of joint oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea, particularly in areas within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Philippines and China have “initial talks” on potential oil and gas explorations at the Bilateral Consultative Mechanism (BCM) on South China Sea meeting in Fujian, China, on March 28. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said both sides took note of the progress and made “frank and thorough exchange of views” on the real situation in the disputed waters where Manila raised concern over Beijing’s “unlawful” actions. “We view diplomacy and defense as two sides of the same coin. We support the Department of Foreign Affairs as they conduct the consultations, while at the same time, we will keep performing our mandate of patrolling the seas, of securing what is legally and rightfully ours,” Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, AFP spokesman for the WPS, said in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo. “The Philippine Navy, Air Force, the Philippine Army, the entire AFP, amid all the negotiations being conducted by DFA will continue performing its mandate of patrolling our seas and securing our sovereignty and sovereign rights, bearing in mind that the Chinese Communist Party is not a reliable partner on the negotiating table,” Trinidad said. Trinidad said China’s actions over the WPS throughout the years were a factual reference to not trust their pronouncements. “History will tell us that talk is different from action… Trust and confidence will always be based on transparency or truthfulness,” Trinidad said.
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