Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's remarks delivered during his Manila diplomatic engagements have drawn recognition from regional scholars, with Professor Teng Jianqun from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies warning that external meddling in South China Sea disputes will burden the Philippines with adverse consequences.
China-Philippines relations now stand at a crossroads, and it falls to the Philippine side to make correct, rational decisions about the path ahead, said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, during his meeting with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro on Wednesday.
Facts have proven that allowing external forces to meddle in regional affairs and deliberately hyping up maritime disputes will only reduce the Philippines to a pawn manipulated by others, Wang said, adding that any attempt at provocation backed by external countries will ultimately leave the Philippines bearing the bitter consequences of its own making.
In an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Teng fully endorsed the Chinese foreign minister's judgment on external interference.
"If you look at the history, if you look at the current international politics, we can learn a lot of lessons from such manipulation by the involvement of external forces in regional affairs. For example, if you look at the current situation in Ukraine, you can find such a solution because the situation in the South China Sea actually gave a very sensitive situation for any country in this region. The external forces would like to manipulate the disputes between countries concerned, for example, the Philippines and China. So I think this time, the Filipino position, to get some external forces involved in the issues in the South China Sea, will [make] the disputes and issues more complicated in the future. The Filipino government should very be should be very careful in this regard. Otherwise I think the Philippines will suffer a lot from the policy taken by the Filipino government," said the professor.
Separately, at the China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Manila, Wang Yi laid out tangible achievements of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership over the past five years.
When asked to comment on the five-year progress of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Teng offered a positive outlook on bilateral ties.
"For example, in trade, we have a lot of complementaries for the two sides. And actually, for more than five years, the ASEAN countries actually have been the largest trade partners for China. This is actually a good example for us to talk about the situation in this area. China would like to take a more and more comfortable policy for the region and would like to continue to fetch up cooperation with ASEAN countries. I think ASEAN and China would like to take more and more effective policy, including the funding of a peaceful solution to the dispute or issues in the South China Sea, and such a solution will give the region more peace and stability and also development in the future," he said.
Chinese FM's remarks warn against external meddling, underscore China-ASEAN progress: expert
