Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday firmly brushed off China’s latest demand for Manila to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, declaring Beijing has no authority to interfere in Philippine maritime territory.
Speaking to reporters following the ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Disaster Resilience in Pasay City, Teodoro asserted that the Chinese government lacks legal standing over the matter.
“They have no right to say that. So it is beyond their jurisdiction and beyond any form of intervention under international law,” Teodoro said.
His statements came in response to assertions made over the weekend by the Chinese Embassy in Manila, which alleged that the Philippines has reneged on pledges to tow away the Navy vessel intentionally grounded at the shoal in 1999 as a military outpost. China further accused Manila of undertaking “large-scale repair and reinforcement of the warship in order to achieve permanent occupation” of the feature, demanding the immediate removal of the vessel and all associated installations.
Addressing those claims, Teodoro noted that Beijing’s refusal to recognize binding international rulings undermines its own stance.
“They are also estopped, or inhibited, or barred from saying that because they did not participate in the arbitration proceedings,” Teodoro noted, citing the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that dismantled China’s expansive South China Sea claims and validated Manila’s sovereign rights over its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The Defense Chief added that he places no weight on Beijing’s commentary “because it was made in area where they have no rhyme, no reason to make any comment about us.”
“Their narrative…which the world doesn’t recognize together with their nine-dash line (claim) is something that we should not give importance to,” Teodoro said, reaffirming Manila’s commitment to defending its maritime rights. “And we should continue to do whatever UNCLOS and international law gives us within our respective areas of sovereign rights or jurisdiction,” he added.