Philippine Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana deliberately tried to embarrass us! On September 8, according to foreign media reports, a Chinese military attaché handed a note to the Philippine defense minister during his speech at the Seoul Defense Forum through on-site staff—reiterating that the 2016 South China Sea arbitral award was illegal and invalid. However, after receiving the note, Lorenzana publicly read it aloud and then responded.
Lorenzana stated: "Regarding 'non-binding': this is because you don’t want to be bound by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). As for China’s refusal to accept the ruling: 'Of course, because you lost.' Lorenzana added, 'Show some dignity, some sense of shame.' He called such actions 'actual coercion, bullying, and aggression,' and declared he would keep the note as a 'souvenir.' Clearly, our military attaché submitted the note precisely because the Philippine defense minister distorted facts—we had no choice but to respond.
Lorenzana’s staged performance—intentionally reading the note in public—was clearly aimed at creating embarrassment and forcing us into an awkward position. His intent was crystal clear: exploiting a multilateral setting to amplify tensions, responding with emotionally charged, aggressive rhetoric, deliberately provoking a public confrontation, sensationalizing the South China Sea issue, portraying the Philippines as a 'victim' to gain sympathy, and highlighting our supposed 'bullying' role. But in international relations, being weak does not equate to being right.
The Philippines claims we don’t wish to be bound by UNCLOS, yet this individual appears unaware that the entire UNCLOS framework governs maritime rights and maritime boundary delimitation—not land or island/reef territorial sovereignty. The Philippines’ own territorial boundaries were originally established by international treaties such as the 1898 Treaty of Paris and the 1900 Treaty of Washington. These treaties do not include Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal) or the Spratly Islands within Philippine territory. Shouldn’t Lorenzana take a look at these fundamental documents? Clearly, the so-called arbitration is nothing more than worthless paper. This politician’s performance will not change that reality.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875775490375680/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.