Who owns the South China Sea? Ft. Rep. Ruffy Biazon | Naked Politixxx Podcast
Join Jeff, Emil and Jan Argy with their special guests Gerald Magno, a professor on international relations, and HoR National Defense and Security Senior Vice Chair and Muntinlupa Congressman Ruffy Biazon in discussing the cause and effect of the South China Sea conflict and assessing President Duterte’s foreign policy on the West Philippine Sea.
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“As a country, I do not think that we are prepared to fight third world war on our own. Our Armed Forces are not that equipped to go against a world superpower like China, but there are other means available to us to try to prevent a war because I think that should be the ultimate goal, try to prevent a war. Of course, the first step there is through diplomacy. We should exhaust all available means to resolve this peaceful and if possible, together with our neighboring countries that we have in ASEAN and if it needs to involve other countries as well even after the UN. The second thing that we should be relying on would be our traditional and reliable allies, those who had been together with us through different challenges and I would be speaking of principally, the United States and our ASEAN neighbors and even all the way to the UN. Judging by the decision made by UNCLOS, we do have our recognized, legitimate rights over certain portions of South China Sea, West Philippines Sea, as we call it which is the possible flash point of the Third World War. Relying on our allies militarily in case diplomatic solutions are not successful, I think it is the appropriate way to go because it cannot be denied that there is an existing that there is an existing conflict between the Philippines and China particularly on the claims in the West Philippine Sea. The tension between the United States and China about those international rights of passage in the international waters and recognized claims of countries. We are armed with that decision of the tribunal granting as those rights so we should be siding where our rights would be asserted and protected, but nobody wants Third World War, that is why we should all be exhausting all efforts in trying diplomatic and peaceful resolution again.” – Rep. Ruffy Biazon