China’s activities in the South China Sea constitute a “major challenge” for the Philippines but the relation between the Philippines and China is not defined exclusively by the difficulties posed by China’s ambition in the South China Sea, said Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Enrique A. Manalo. Speaking at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) where he delivered the 42nd Annual Sapru House Lecture on “Shared Values and Common Outlook: The Journey of Philippines-India Cooperation”, Mr Manalo urged the ASEAN and other stakeholders to frame the code of conduct for the South China Sea.
“The differences we have with China are not the sum total of our relationship with China. We have a quite a vast and significant bilateral relationship with China in other areas like in the economic sphere, culture etc,” said Mr Manalo while interacting with the audience at the Sapru House. He pointed out that most of the activities by the maritime units and “land reclamation” by China are taking place inside the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines in the South China Sea. He described these activities as a “major challenge”. The Philippines said Mr Manalo does not recognise the “so called nine dash line” in the South China Sea that Beijing uses to claim most of the crucial water body.
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