Philippines accuses China of 'insincerity, hypocrisy' over South China Sea dispute: Report

Manila, June 28 (IANS): Philippines Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has accused China of "insincerity and hypocrisy" after Beijing rejected Manila's demand to comply with the landmark 2016 international arbitral ruling on the South China Sea, according to a report.

According to a report by Democrata, the latest diplomatic exchange follows the Philippine government's renewed call for China to honour the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which invalidated Beijing's expansive claims over much of the South China Sea and ruled in favour of the Philippines.

Responding to the Chinese Embassy's rejection of Manila's official statement, Teodoro said, "The statement from the Chinese Embassy in response to our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a window into the true intentions of the Chinese Communist Party in its relations with our country."

Teodoro, who has reportedly been barred from entering China since June 11, further criticised Beijing's response, describing it as "an arrogant display of deceptive indignation" and adding that "what they say is no longer credible, that's why they are resorting to agitation".

The renewed diplomatic tensions come after the Philippine government denounced China's continued refusal to recognise the 2016 arbitral award, saying that the tribunal's decision is "final and binding".

Despite the escalating rhetoric between the two countries, the Philippine Defence Chief said Manila would continue protecting its territorial interests in the disputed waters.

"We will not be oppressed," Teodoro said, reaffirming the Philippine government's commitment to defending the country's sovereignty against what it describes as repeated Chinese incursions in the South China Sea.

The South China Sea has remained one of Asia's most sensitive geopolitical flashpoints for decades.

The strategically important waterway is bordered by China and several Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

China claims most of the South China Sea under its so-called "nine-dash line", a sweeping maritime boundary first published in 1947.

The claim overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of several neighbouring countries, including the Philippines.

In July 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favour of the Philippines, concluding that China had no legal basis to claim historic rights over maritime areas covered by the nine-dash line. However, Beijing has consistently rejected the ruling.

The latest exchange underscores the continuing tensions between Beijing and Manila, with the South China Sea remaining a key source of regional and international security concerns.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met the Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Maria Theresa Lazaro, and reaffirmed Washington's commitment to its alliance with Manila, as the two countries marked 80 years of diplomatic relations and 75 years as treaty allies amid continuing security concerns in the South China Sea.

Rubio and Lazaro discussed "a range of bilateral economic and security priorities", including the Philippines' role as Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ongoing efforts to advance peace and security in the South China Sea, the Department of State said in a readout of the call.